India\u2019s southern state of Kerala shut some schools, offices and public transport, authorities said on Wednesday, as they scrambled to rein in the spread of the rare and deadly brain-damaging Nipah virus that has killed two people. According to Indian media, an adult and a child are still infected in hospital, and more than 130 people have been tested for the virus, spread via direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs or people. \u201cWe are focusing on tracing contacts of infected persons early and isolating anyone with symptoms,\u201d said the state\u2019s Health Minister Veena George, who told reporters the strain of the virus was being examined. \u201cPublic movement has been restricted in parts of the state to contain the medical crisis.\u201d Two infected people have died since Aug.30 in the state\u2019s fourth outbreak of the virus since 2018, forcing authorities to declare containment zones in at least seven villages in the district of Kozhikode. Strict isolation rules were adopted, with medical staff being quarantined after direct contact with the infected. The first victim was a small landholder in the district\u2019s village of Marutonkara, a government official said. The victim\u2019s daughter and brother-in-law, both infected, are in an isolation ward, with other family members and neighbours being tested. The second death followed contact in hospital with the first victim, doctors\u2019 initial investigation has shown, but the two were not related, added the official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media. The Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers and others in close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore. In Kerala\u2019s first Nipah outbreak, 21 of the 23 infected died, while outbreaks in 2019 and 2021 claimed two more lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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