Nine People Died of Nipah Virus Outbreaks in South India

New Delhi -Nine died from the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala state in southern India, health officials said on Monday.

“Nine people have succumbed to the deadly virus in Kochikode and Malappuram in the Kerala state in last 24 hours, after they were treated for a fever, three of the nine died on Aham night (20/5),” said a senior official health, as quoted by Xinhua – which monitored Antara in Jakarta, Monday afternoon (21/05/2018).

Some more people who have the virus are now being treated in government hospitals in these two districts.

Meanwhile, Indian Health Minister J.P. Nadda has instructed a central team, headed by the Head of the National Center for Disease Monitoring (NCDC), to visit Kerala to help state governments after the nine died.

Health officials say the state government is trying to cope with a deadly virus outbreak.

“The isolation ward has been opened at the Kozhikode Hospital and Medical College and a special task force has been set up to tackle the situation.The state government has canceled leave for doctors and paramedical staff,” said another health official.

The Nipah virus was an infectious disease that emerged and spread in Malaysia in 1999, and initially affected pets before attacking humans. The organism – which causes the virus – is a Ribonucleic acid virus from the Paramyxoviridae family, a type of Henipavirus.