Nipah virus: Kerala state issues warning after 14-year-old dies

Health authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have issued a warning after a 14-year-old boy died from the Nipah virus.

According to the state health minister, another 60 people were classified as high-risk.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the boy was from Pandikkad town and all those who had come into contact with him had been isolated and tested.

People in the region have been asked to take precautions, such as wearing masks in public and refraining from visiting hospital patients.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infection with the Nipah virus is a “zoonosis” that is transmitted from animals such as pigs and fruit bats to humans.

Transmission is also possible through contaminated food and contact with infected people.

Due to its epidemic-causing potential, the WHO has classified the virus as a priority pathogen.

The virus has been linked to dozens of deaths in the state of Kerala since it was first reported there in 2018.

According to Indian media reports, the 14-year-old died on Sunday, just one day after he was confirmed to be infected with the virus.

Transmission is also possible through contaminated food and contact with infected people.

Parts of Kerala are considered among the most vulnerable areas in the world. A Reuters investigation published last year found that Kerala, a tropical state experiencing rapid urbanisation and tree loss, created “ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge”.

Experts believe that due to the loss of their habitat, animals are living closer to humans, which facilitates the transmission of the virus from animals to humans.

The state government recently announced that it was preparing an action plan to prevent a Nipah outbreak.