After two reported deaths, a 9-year-old child, and a 25-year-old man have also tested positive for Nipah virus in Kerala led to a Nipah scare.

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Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis (a disease which can be transmitted to humans from animals)  that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

           Transmission of Nipah virus takes place through direct contact with infected bats, pigs, or from other NiV-infected people and people have been also cautioned that they should not consume fruits that have fallen on to the ground.
              NiV infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis((inflammation of the brain). NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals. Fruit bats are considered the main carrier of the virus for which there is no vaccination, according to the World Health Organization.