Two people suspected to be infected with the brain-damaging Nipah virus are under treatment in Karnataka, a health official said. The rare virus has killed at least 11 people in adjacent Kerala, where medical crews are scrambling to manage the spread of the deadly disease - and to minimise panic.
Symptoms of the virus surfaced in a 20-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man in the port city of Mangalore after they travelled to neighbouring Kerala and had contact with infected patients, said Rajesh BV, a health official in Karnataka on Wednesday.
"They are not confirmed Nipah cases yet, so there is no need to panic," he said by telephone. "The situation is under control."
Nipah is a rare virus spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage.
The Nipah virus or NiV infection has symptoms like breathing trouble, brain swelling, fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation and delirium. A patient can fall into coma within 48 hours. It travels through direct contact with a patient.
Nipah is a rare virus spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage.
The WHO has named Nipah as one of the eight priority diseases that could cause a global epidemic, alongside the likes of Ebola and Zika.
Kerala is on high alert over the infection and two control rooms have been opened in Kozhikode. A central team has also been sent to the district to help the state administration.
He declined to comment on the Mangalore cases, but identified the districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad for tourists in Kerala to avoid, as being close to the outbreak and under scrutiny by health officials.
Among the dead in the Kerala outbreak was nursing assistant and mother-of-two Lini Puthussery, who had helped to treat one of the original family suffering from Nipah earlier this month.
At least 17 patients are still under treatment, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said. "All steps to prevent the spread of the virus have been taken," she added, urging people not to destroy colonies of fruit bats.
Nipah Virus: Know Symptoms, Transmission, Preventive Measures And More Kerala Prepares Special Action Calendar To Prevent Nipah Virus Outbreak Oxford Scientists Launch First Human Vaccine Trials For Nipah Virus Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms BJP Subtly Asking Ajit Pawar To Quit "Mahayuti": Sharad Pawar's NCP West Bengal Forms Seven-Member Panel To Review New Criminal Laws US Military Declares End Of Troubled Gaza Aid Pier Mission What Is PM SHRI? Which States Resisted Centres Showcase Schools Scheme Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.