Kuwait warns of travel to Indian virus-hit areas

KUNA

Kuwaiti Embassy in New Delhi issued a warning on Thursday to Kuwaiti citizens in India and those planning to travel to the nation to avoid regions affected by the deadly Nipah virus.

The Nipah virus has presumably affected few regions in Kerala, Maharashtra and Goa resulting in the death of several people, the embassy said in a statement.

Hence, the mission asked Kuwaiti citizens to avoid traveling to the affected areas until the current situation is over.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Nipah virus in the south Indian state of Kerala rose to 11 amid fears that the deadly virus has spread to the neighboring state of Karnataka.

Nipah virus is considered deadly with a mortality rate of 70 percent and there is no medicine or vaccination available so far.

Nipah virus infection causes fever, headache, breathing trouble, inflammation of the brain, drowsiness, disorientation and delirium and an infected can slip into coma within 48 hours.

According to the World Health Organisation, Nipah virus, which is transmitted from animal to human especially fruit bats which are considered natural host of the virus and from human to human, was first detected in Malysia in 1988 and later the virus caused a number of casualties in Bangladesh between 2004 and 2008.