INDIA
An Army Jawan died in Kolkata on Wednesday
One more person today succumbed to Nipah virus here, taking the death toll in Kerala's Kozhikode and Malappuram districts to 14. Another person died in Kolkata earlier in the day.
Madhusudhanan (55) of Nellikode in Kozhikode district died tonight, according to health department sources.
He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, they said, adding that Madhusudhanan had tested positive of the virus.
The number of confirmed Nipah virus cases has risen to 17 with the National Institute of Virology, Pune, finding its presence in the blood sample of a 28-year-old person from Karassery here, the sources said.
Earlier in the day, A Kolkata hospital has sent body fluid samples of a deceased jawan to National Institute of Virology at Pune to check for Nipah virus infection, a defence official said today.
Seenu Prasad, posted at Fort William here, had gone to his hometown in Kerala on a month's leave. He rejoined office on May 13.
The 27-year-old soldier's medical condition, after his return, prompted the authorities to admit him to Command Hospital on May 20, the defence spokesperson said, adding that Prasad passed away five days later.
"His body fluids have been sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune to find out if it was a case of Nipah virus infection," he said.
Kerala has warned people traveling to the state and urged travelers to be extra cautious while visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts.
A similar note of caution has also been issued by the Himachal Pradesh health ministry on Thursday after over 18 dead bats were discovered a day prior to that in the premises of a government school in Nahan, triggering a panic among locals.