Kerala's Health Minister Veena on Wednesday confirmed another case of the Nipah virus, taking the total number of affected persons in the state to five
The first outbreak of Nipah was in 1999 in Malaysia and Singapore. The town in Malaysia where the initial outbreak took place bears the virus's name. The Nipah virus is closely linked to the Hendra virus and is a member of the Paramyxoviridae family.
Health Minister Veena George said that the contacts of the deceased, including their relatives, were being monitored by the health department officials.