The Kerala government on Friday issued a high alert in three districts after two suspected cases of the Nipah virus were detected in the state, The Hindu reported. One of the cases was later confirmed.

The alerts were issued for Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode districts.

The two cases included an 18-year-old woman from Malappuram, who died on Tuesday in Kozhikode from acute encephalitis syndrome, and a 38-year-old woman from Palakkad currently being treated in Malappuram, the newspaper reported.

The two women had shown symptoms consistent with the virus during routine testing. Subsequently, preliminary tests conducted at the government medical colleges in Kozhikode and Malappuram indicated the possibility of the virus, Manorama News reported.

The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune in accordance with the standard protocol for confirmation. On Friday, the institute confirmed the infection in the 38-year-old woman, while the test result of the 18-year-old was awaited, The Hindu reported.

After the cases came to light, state Health Minister Veena George convened an emergency meeting and confirmed that preventive actions had been intensified in the state in line with the Nipah virus protocol, Hindustan Times reported.

George added that police assistance had been sought to help trace persons who may have been in contact with the suspected cases. State and district-level helplines were being set up to provide assistance, she said.

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