Indian authorities have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died from infection by the deadly Nipah virus in the southern state of Kerala . Nipah is zoonotic , meaning that it is passed to humans from animals such as pigs and fruit bats , and can cause a lethal brain-swelling fever. The incubation period ranges from four to 14 days.
The victim was on a ventilator at a hospital in Malappuram and suffered a heart attack at around 10.50am local time on Sunday . “The boy was in an unconscious state.
His urine output was very low. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest," said state health minister Veena George. “Doctors tried their level best to save the boy but he unfortunately passed away.
” The National Institute of Virology in Pune had confirmed that the boy was infected by Nipah, Ms George said. Nipah is classified as a “priority pathogen” by the World Health Organization because of its potential to trigger an epidemic. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no cure.
The virus has been linked to dozens of deaths in Kerala since its first appeared in the coastal state in 2018. The virus was first identified 25 years ago in Malaysia and has led to outbreaks in Bangladesh, India and Singapore. The symptoms include intense fever, vomiting, respiratory infection, and, in severe cases, brain inflammation and seizures resulting in coma.
The boy’s funeral will be conducted in compliance with the international protocol around virus outbreak, the health minister said.