Health authorities in India‘s Kerala state have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died from the Nipah virus.
According to the state’s health minister, an additional 60 people have been identified as high-risk contacts for the disease.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George stated that the boy was from the town of Pandikkad and that those who had contact with him have been isolated and tested.
People in the area have been advised to take precautions such as wearing masks in public and avoiding hospital visits.
The Nipah virus infection is a “zoonotic illness” transmitted from animals like pigs and fruit bats to humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It can also be spread through contaminated food and contact with an infected person.
The WHO has designated the virus as a priority disease because of its potential to produce an epidemic.
Since its initial detection in Kerala in 2018, the virus has been related to dozens of deaths in the state.
The 14-year-old child died on Sunday, just one day after his infection was detected, according to Indian media sources.
Certain areas of Kerala are thought to be among the most vulnerable to the virus globally. According to a Reuters study released last year, the state’s tropical environment, rising urbanisation, and major tree loss provide “ideal conditions for a virus like Nipah to emerge.”
Experts indicate that habitat loss is causing animals to live in closer proximity to humans, facilitating the transmission of the virus from animals to humans.
In response, the state government recently announced the development of an action plan to prevent a Nipah outbreak.
Last year, Kerala authorities closed schools and offices after confirming five cases.
