Nipah virus death toll rises to 16

The Nipah scare has claimed another life in Kerala's Calicut, taking the number of deaths to 16.

The scare, created by the occurrence of the virus, has also affected the tourism in the state. However, locals and tourists believe that the situation has been falsely portrayed by the media.

News of the presence of the virus was first reported from Kozhikode earlier this week, and now, at least 16 deaths have been confirmed to have taken place due to the "rare and deadly" virus.

As the death toll is rising each day, a wave of panic has gripped the state, since the infection spreads through human contact.

The state health department issued an advisory for people travelling to the state and urged travellers to be extra cautious while visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts.

A similar note of caution has also been issued by the Himachal Pradesh health ministry on Thursday after more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Nahan, triggering a panic among locals.

For those unversed, Nipah virus, spread by fruit bats, causes communicable disease and is fatal for both animals and humans.

The symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, disorientation and mental confusion.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these signs and symptoms can progress to coma within 24-48 hours.