Nipah Virus Claims 2 More Lives In Kerala, Death Toll Rises To 16

With two deaths due to Nipah Virus infection recorded on Wednesday in Kerala's Kozhikode, the total number casualties from the deadly outbreak has reached 16 in the state.

On Wednesday, two more people who were admitted in Kozhikode Medical College, 55-year-old Madhusudhana and 28-year-old Akhil lost their lives.

PTI

17 others who have been confirmed to have contracted the virus are currently undergoing treatment in Kozhikode Medical College.

Another case has been surfaced in Kolkata where a soldier from Kerala who died of suspected Nipah infection is yet to be confirmed.

The soldier, Seenu Prasad, a native of Kerala and was on a month's leave.

Prasad had joined duty on May 13, but was admitted to hospital on May 20. He died on Sunday and was cremated the next day.

However, it was not yet confirmed that Prasad died of Nipah Virus infection and his samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.

PTI

Another Keralite, who was under observation in Goa for suspected Nipah infection has been cleared.?

Meanwhile with the confusion looming over the cause of the virus spread, authorities in Kerala have sent a batch of five fresh samples from fruit bats to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases.

BCCL

Earlier, bats experts had ruled out the possibility of the mammal being the reason behind the outbreak in Kerala, they however had admitted that bats do carry the virus.