NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The southern Indian state of Kerala shut some schools, offices and public transport on Wednesday in a race to stop the spread of the rare and deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people. The state government on Wednesday evening said at least 706 people, including 153 health workers, were undergoing tests to check the spread of the virus. "More people could be tested .Isolation facilities will be provided," Pinarayi Vijayan, chief minister of Kerala, said in a statement.
Nipah is a deadly infection with case fatality rates of 50 per cent to 90 per cent but, doctors say, it is relatively easy to contain through the isolation of patients and their contacts and other precautions
Kerala Health Department has issued an alert for Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram districts after two persons died due to Nipah infection in recent days in Kozhikode.
Amid fears of the spread of Nipah virus in Kerala after the death of two patients in Kozhikode district, Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said the state government had made all arrangements to contain the pathogen and ensure public safety.