Nipah virus: As death toll rises to 14, probable case reported in a Goa hospital

Updated May 28, 2018 | 13:29 IST | Times Now Digital

The death toll due to the deadly Nipah virus rose to 14 on Sunday after it claimed another life in Kerala’s Calicut or Kozhikode. Meanwhile, in yet another development on Monday, news agency ANI reported that a native of Kerala has been kept in an isolated ward of Goa Medical College, after he developed symptoms similar to the Nipah virus.

Representational Image
Representational Image 

New Delhi: The death toll due to the deadly Nipah virus rose to 14 on Sunday after it claimed another life in Kerala’s Calicut or Kozhikode. 26-year-old Abin of Olavanna, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, succumbed to his illness yesterday, the Times of India reported. As per the report, Abin, who was an auto-rickshaw driver, had reportedly visited his family house in Perambra, from where the first two cases of Nipah virus victims were reported. 

Meanwhile, in yet another development on Monday, news agency ANI reported that a native of Kerala has been kept in an isolated ward of Goa Medical College, after he developed symptoms similar to the Nipah virus. Speaking on the issue,  Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said, “It is not clear if he is affected with the virus. The status of patient’s health will be known only after tests results.”  

Earlier this week, in the wake of rising cases of Nipah virus, the Kerala health department issued a travel advisory and asked people to be extra cautious while travelling to Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts. On Thursday, the Himachal Pradesh government had issued a similar advisory after over 18 dead bats were found on the premises of a government school in Nahan, causing panic among the locals. 

According to initial reports, the virus was spread by fruit bat. Symptoms caused by the virus include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, disorientation and mental confusion, and the patient could even slip to coma. The disease proved to be fatal in some cases. However, sources told Times Now that the source of the Nipah virus that broke out in Kerala were probably not bats that were caught in the well of the first victim's house.
 

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