India’s Kerala reports 2nd Nipah virus death

NEW DELHI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) — Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala Monday said a 24-year-old man has died from Nipah virus.
According to Kerala local health minister Veena George, the man died in Malappuram district, about 370 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.
“A 24-year-old man who died in a private hospital the other day was confirmed to be infected with Nipah virus. Nipah virus was suspected during the death investigation conducted by the medical officer after he was convinced that the youth who died in a private hospital had shown symptoms of encephalitis,” a statement issued by the local government said.
Health officials have put 151 people who came into contact with the victim under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
This is the second death caused by Nipah in Kerala since July.
On July 21, a 14-year-old schoolboy from Pandikkad in Malappuram succumbed to the Nipah virus at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.
According to the World Health Organization, Nipah virus infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural hosts of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.
Typically, human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion and coma, which can potentially lead to death. ■