- The Health Department has immediately stepped up vigilance following the detection of a suspected case of Nipah virus infection in Kerala's Kozhikode district on June 10, 2026.
- Preliminary tests have returned a positive result for the Nipah virus in a 40-year-old man. The patient is currently undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, where he has been placed on ventilator support.
- His samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for final confirmation of the infection.
- The Nipah virus is a zoonotic infection that primarily spreads from animals to humans. Additionally, it can transmit from person to person through contact with an infected individual.
- The virus belongs to the *Henipavirus* genus and the *Paramyxoviridae* family. Fruit bats—specifically those of the *Pteropodidae* family—play a key role as its natural hosts.
- Outbreaks of the Nipah virus have been recorded periodically across various countries in South and Southeast Asia, making it a serious public health concern.
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