Nipah virus: 12-year-old boy dies in Kerala, Centre sends expert team to the state

A 12-year-old child died of the Nipah virus in Kerala on Sunday morning, after which the Centre sent an expert team to the state already struggling with a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Nipah is a virus that can be transferred from animals to humans. It causes fever and cold-like symptoms in patients before quickly advancing to encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.

In May 2018, an outbreak of the virus in Kerala had claimed 17 lives.

The latest case was reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode district on Friday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. The boy showed symptoms of inflammation of the brain and heart, and was hospitalised.

“The central government has rushed a team of NCDC [National Centre for Disease Control] to the state, which will be reaching today [Sunday],” the health ministry said in a press release. “The team will provide technical support to the state.”

The ministry advised the Kerala government to immediately trace the child’s contacts, isolate them and take their samples for testing.

The authorities in Kerala have kept 30 people linked to the child under observation, according to the Hindustan Times. State Health Minister Veena George said none of the boy’s close contacts were symptomatic, PTI reported.

She added: “There is…

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