Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Kerala, a 12 year old boy died due to Nipah virus infection on Sunday. The little boy was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode district. The boy developed symptoms of Nipah and was admitted to the hospital on September 1. He had been getting treated at the hospital since then. The samples were sent to the lab of the National Institute of Virology in Pune on Saturday and they had confirmed the presence of the virus. The boy died at 5am on Sunday. The victim's relatives and all those who treated him have been put under quarantine.

Giving details of the case, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, "Unfortunately, the boy passed away at 5 in the morning. The condition of the child was critical on Saturday night. We formed various teams and have started the tracing. Steps have been taken to isolate those who were the primary contacts of the boy". The Central Government has rushed a team of the National Centre for Disease Control to Kerala.

World Health Organisation said that Nipah Virus is caused by fruit bats and is potentially fatal to humans as well as animals. The first outbreak of the nipah virus was reported in Kerala's Kozhikode district on May 19, 2018. The state had witnessed 17 deaths and 18 confirmed cases. The return of the Nipah virus, which claimed a number of deaths in the southern state, has only added to the state's worries.