Mansukh Mandaviya confirms two Nipah virus deaths in Kerala

New Delhi: Two deaths reported from Kerala's Kozhikode district were caused by Nipah virus, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

He said a central team of experts has been sent to Kerala to take stock of the situation and assist the state government in the management of the Nipah virus infection.

According to official sources, samples of four more people from Kerala have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune to test for the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government on Tuesday set up a control room in Kozhikode and advised people to use masks as a precautionary measure.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that the government is viewing the two deaths seriously and the health department has issued an alert in Kozhikode.