Abstract
As of June 1, 16 people have died in an outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala, India. The outbreak began on May 19, when three deaths from Nipah virus were reported in a family in Kozhikode district; later, a health-care worker who provided some treatment to the family also died. Three of the four deaths were confirmed as Nipah virus. 203 samples have been tested so far and 18 have tested positive for Nipah virus including the 16 who died. All of the patients who died were from Kozhikode and Malappuram in Kerala. Almost 2000 people are being followed up after having had contact with infected patients. This Nipah virus outbreak is the first reported in Kerala state and the third in India. The natural hosts for the virus are fruit bats. Nipah virus spreads through secretions and body fluids from those who are infected or consuming food that has droplets of saliva or urine from infected bats. Field investigations found fruit bats living in an abandoned well on the premises of a property being renovated by the first infected family.
Published Version
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