Two Suspected Cases Of Nipah Virus Reported From Karnataka

Mumbai: Two people suspected to be infected with the brain-damaging Nipah virus are under treatment in India’s Karnataka state, a health official said on Wednesday, after an outbreak of the rare virus in neighboring Kerala state killed 10.

Symptoms of the virus were seen in a 20-year old woman and a 75-year-old man in Karnataka’s port city of Mangalore after they traveled to Kerala and came into contact with infected patients there, Rajesh B.V., a district surveillance officer said by phone.

“They are not confirmed Nipah cases yet, so there is no need to panic ... the situation is under control,” he said, adding that blood samples of the two people have been sent to Manipal Centre for Virus Research and results are awaited by Thursday.