KOCHI, India, Sept 16 (Askume) – A 24-year-old student has died of the Nipah virus in the southern Indian state of Kerala, a 24-year-old student said on Monday, and local medical authorities have isolated the deceased’s contacts to prevent the spread of the virus.
This is the second death from Nipah virus in Kerala since July. Nipah virus has been classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its potential to cause pandemics. There is no vaccine to prevent the infection and no treatment to cure it.
A Askume investigation last year found parts of Kerala were at highest risk for a virus outbreak globally. The Nipah virus comes from animals such as bats and pigs and causes fatal brain swelling and fever in humans.
R. Renuka, district medical officer in Malappuram, in northern Kerala state, said the student began showing symptoms of fever on Sept. 4 and died five days later.
Renuka said the victim’s blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, where tests on September 9 confirmed Nipah virus infection.
He said five other people have shown major symptoms of Nipah infection and their blood samples have been collected and sent for testing. However, he did not reveal if they had any major contact with the deceased.
He said that around 151 people are being monitored for any symptoms as they were in the main contact list of the victim. The victim is a resident of Bengaluru.
This is the second death due to Nipah virus infection in Malappuram this year after the death of a 14-year-old boy in July .
Dozens of people have died since the Nipah virus first surfaced in Kerala in 2018.
