The death of a 14-year-old due to Nipah Virus in the southern state of Kerala has set alarm bells ringing as the state has now taken precautions to curtail its spread.

The virus claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy from Malappuram district after which a high alert was sounded.

Nipah is spread by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, which leads to brain-swelling and fever in humans. Classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah is feared as it is highly possible to trigger an epidemic.

So far, no treatment or vaccination has been invented to prevent this infection which is fatal.

Veena Geroge, Kerala’s minister for Health in an official statement said that the boy died following a massive cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.

Kerala is not a stranger to Nipah Virus infections. In 2018, the state saw cases in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. At Least 17 lives were lost.

 Meanwhile, in yet another update, a 68-year-old man from Malappuram who is symptomatic is undergoing treatment in the ICU of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Even as the state is preparing a secondary contact list who have possibly met the infected, restrictions have been imposed. Shops can function only from 10 am to 5 pm. No more than 50 are allowed to gather at wedding ceremonies. Masks have been mandated in the districts. 

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