India Puts Southern State Of Kerala On High Alert After Nipah Virus Outbreak

State of Kerala is under high-alert after the outbreak of Nipah virus. (Image: ANI)

Health officials in the south Indian state of Kerala say nine people have died in confirmed and suspected cases of the deadly Nipah virus.

Three victims have tested positive for the virus in the past fortnight. The results from the remaining six samples will be available later on Monday.

25 others have been hospitalised with symptoms of the infection in Kozhikode, officials said.

Nipah is an infection which can be transmitted to humans from animals.

There is no vaccination for the virus which has a mortality rate of 70 per cent.

Nipah virus is also “top of the list” of 10 priority diseases that the WHO has identified as potentials for the next major outbreak.

Fruit bats are considered to be the natural host of the virus.

Health officials said they had found mangoes bitten by bats in a home where three people died of the suspected infection.





Disclaimer: Stories culled and pictures posted on this blog will be given due credit and is not the fault of drifternews.blogspot.com if website culled from misrepresents source of story.