Kozhikode: The Nipah virus has so far claimed three lives in Kerala while one person is undergoing treatment and 8 others are under observation in Kozhikode district, health minister KK Shylaja Monday said.
The three deaths, which occurred over the past fortnight, were from the same family, including two siblings. The man who is undergoing treatment for ‘Nipah’ is the father of the two brothers who died. Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.
A bat was found in the well of their house which has now been closed, the minister said. A nursing assistant, Lini, who had treated three infected persons, died Monday morning. However, it is yet to be confirmed if she had contracted the virus, which spreads through bats.
Five more people have died due to high fever and similar symptoms of the virus here and in Malappuram district. However, it is yet to be confirmed if their deaths were caused by the virus, health department sources said.
Health minister Shylaja and labour minister, TP Ramakrishnan held discussions with officials and assured that the government had taken all necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus which has affected the state for the first time. A high level team from the National Centre for Disease Control has already arrived in Kozhikode district to take stock of the situation.
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