Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 12:00pm on 13 Sep 2023,Wednesday Health & Wellness
The Kerala government confirmed in the state assembly that the recent deaths due to the Nipah virus in Kozhikode were caused by the 'Bangladesh variant' of the brain-damaging virus. Health Minister Veena George said this strain has a high mortality rate but is less infectious compared to other variants. This marks the fourth Nipah outbreak in Kerala since 2018, which has so far claimed 25 lives out of 27 infected. The virus, which spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or humans, has no vaccine or treatment available yet. Kerala first reported Nipah in 2018 when 21 out of 23 infected people died. In 2019 and 2021, two more lives were lost to Nipah outbreaks in the state.
