The authorities of a region in the south india They raised the alert this Wednesday after confirming the reappearance of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV), which has caused at least two deaths in this new outbreak, while they take measures to prevent the spread.

The authorities some schools were closed today in at least seven villages in the Kozhikode district of the southern state of Kerala, which have been declared as containment zones, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said in a parliamentary session, according to the NDTV news channel. After calling an emergency meeting last night to analyze the situation, George assured that they are increasing response capacity in Kozhikode, where mobile units will be installed to strengthen the capacity of medical centers and epidemiological studies will be carried outGeorge added.

In addition, the state also issued a series of recommendations to prevent contagion, as well as a prevention plan in case of suffering symptoms from this virus, which so far has caused the death of at least two people, the country’s Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, told the press. India detected the first outbreak of this virus in June 2018when 17 deaths were recorded precisely in the affected districts of Kozhikode and Mallapuram, in Kerala.

Symptoms of Nipah (NiV)

The initial symptoms are high fever, headache, respiratory complications and muscle pain, while, in a more advanced stage, the disease can cause encephalitis. One of the ways the virus is transmitted is through the body fluids of an infected person such as saliva and blood. Some animals, such as bats and pigs, can also contract the virus and transmit it through contact with food.

There is no preventive vaccine, so doctors can only deal with symptomatic treatment, and the mortality rate is up to 70%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization (WHO) has included Nipah on the list of priority diseases for investigation due to its epidemic potential, along with Ebola or Zika.