The death toll due to Nipah virus in the state rose to 16 as Two more Nipah-infected patients succumbed to the dreaded virus infection in Kerala, taking the death toll to 16. The latest victims have been identified as Palazhi native Madhusoodhanan (55) and Mukkam native Akhil (28).
Nine more suspected to be infected with Nipah are under observation.
The outbreak of the Nipah virus infection, a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans, is suspected to be from an unused well in Perambra which was infested with bats. The natural host of the virus is believed to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.
With samples of insectivores bats testing negative for the virus, samples of fruit-eating bats were earlier collected from nearby Perambra, the epicentre of the Nipah virus.
They were sent for tests at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Yet to confirm it.
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