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Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala have stepped up surveillance measures to contain the spread of the deadly Nipah virus.
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| Fruit bats are the source of the Nipah virus. Photo: INDIA POSTS ENGLISH |
Health workers in Kerala conduct walk-through surveys of more than 22,000 homes in Kozhikode district, where all the first cases of Nipah in the outbreak were detected. Kerala has so far identified six Nipah cases, four of whom are currently being treated and two of whom have died. The number of people listed as contacts of Nipah patients in Kozhikode district has risen to 1,777, according to local officials.
According to the World Health Organization, Nipah virus appears in animals and is transmitted to humans, causing severe illness in both animals and humans. The natural host of Nipah virus is fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae, genus Pteropus. Typically, symptoms of Nipah virus infection include fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion and coma, with the risk of death.
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