Health authorities in India’s Kerala state have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus.
According to the state’s health minister, an additional 60 people have been identified as being in the high-risk category of having the disease.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the boy was from the town of Pandikkad and that those who came into contact with him have been isolated and tested.
People in the area have been asked to take precautions such as wearing masks in public areas and refraining from visiting people in hospital.
The Nipah virus infection is a “zoonotic illness” transmitted from animals like pigs and fruit bats to humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It can also be transmitted through contaminated food and through contact with an infected person.
