Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) : Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday confirmed Nipah virus infection in Kozhikode district.

The Health Minister further confirmed that the two deaths at a private hospital on Monday in Kozhikode were due to Nipah adding that there are two active cases as of now in the district.

The active case of patients includes a nine-year-old and a 24-year-old relative of the deceased.

The Minister said that the first person's samples were not sent but since the second deceased person is positive, the first is also naturally positive. It will be considered as index case, she added.

The Central government earlier on Tuesday rushed a team of health experts to Kerala as Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that the two "unnatural deaths" in the state were due to the Nipah virus.

The first death took place on August 30 and the second death on September 11.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the State government is viewing the two “unnatural deaths” reported from Kozhikode very seriously and that the health department has issued an alert in the district.

The health minister has directed local health workers to keep a close vigil in their areas. As a precautionary measure, the Health Ministry has also directed for an isolation facility in Kozhikode Medical College.

Earlier in Kerala there was a Nipah virus outbreak in the Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in 2018 and later in 2021, a case of Nipah virus was reported in Kozhikode.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. Along with respiratory illness, it is also known to cause fever, muscular pain, headache, fever, dizziness, and nausea.