On Sept. 16, 2024, A 24-year-old student has died from the Nipah virus in the southern Indian state of Kerala, a local medical official reported, and 151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

This was the second death caused by Nipah in Kerala since July. Nipah was classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its potential to trigger an epidemic. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment to cure it.

Parts of Kerala are among those most at risk globally for outbreaks of the virus, a Reuters investigation showed last year. Nipah, which comes from fruit bats and animals such as pigs, can cause a lethal, brain-swelling fever in humans.

The student starting showing fever symptoms on Sept. 4 and died five days later, said R. Renuka, a district medical officer in the town of Malappuram, located in northern Kerala.

Five other people who have developed primary symptoms of a Nipah infection have had blood samples drawn and they were sent for tests, she said, without saying if they were primary contacts of the dead person.