Malappuram (Kerala), May 8 (IANS) A woman in Kerala's Malappuram on Thursday tested positive for Nipah, the deadly zoonotic virus that causes infections in human beings and is time and again striking in and around the district in the past few years, officials said.

The 42-year-old woman had been suffering from fever and Nipah-related symptoms for a while.

According to the officials, the first two tests done at a Kozhikode government laboratory came out negative, but with no respite in her health condition, a third test turned positive.

Soon, the sample was sent to the virology laboratory in Pune, and the result, received on Thursday, came out positive.

The woman is now admitted to a hospital in Perinthalmanna near here and has been isolated for a while.

The health authorities were on high alert as Malappuram has been repeatedly reporting Nipah cases since the first outbreak in 2018.

In 2024, two Nipah-positive patients - both youths - passed away, and hence, the health authorities are always on their toes when patients come with persistent fever.

Two immediate family members of the 42-year-old woman had just recovered from a long bout of fever, and the death of their pet dog recently had kept the health professionals on their toes.

The health officials in the district are now working to find out the contact list of the woman. They will also come out with detailed protocols to be followed in the locality.

In 2018,18 people died from the outbreak of the Nipah virus.

It was the first time the deadly disease was detected in South India.

Fruit bats have been found to spread this deadly virus to other animals and human beings.

According to the WHO, the disease can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals. The primary treatment for humans is supportive care.

--IANS

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