Kerala: NIV Confirms Bats Samples From Kozhikode Have Nipah Antibodies, Health Minister Says

A 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode died of Nipah on September 5 after receiving treatment for a few weeks at a hospital

Chennai: National Institute of Virology in Pune has confirmed that the source of Nipah infection in the 12-year-old Kozhikode boy who died of the virus on September 5 were bats, the Kerala government said on Wednesday..     

After the boy's death, the Kerala health authorities had collected samples from bats earlier this month from Kozhikode and sent it to NIV. Health Minister Veena George confirmed on Wednesday that the bats found in the vicinity of the Nipah victim's house have the antibodies of the virus in them, according to NIV's study.

George said the results of the samples collected from bats from the area where the boy lived have shown the presence of antibodies of Nipah virus.

"Antibodies have been found in two different varieties of bats, whose samples were collected from the vicinity of the boy's house. The samples were tested at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The ICMR is conducting more studies on it and they will be informing us," said PTI quoted the minister as saying.

The NIV team had collected numerous samples from the area and more reports are expected in the coming days.

The 12-year-old died on September 5 after undergoing treatment for a few weeks at a hospital in Kozhikode, and it was found only in the later stage that the boy was Nipah positive.