The state of Kerala has been put on alert after a 23-year-old boy was admitted with symptoms of Nipah virus. Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital in Kochi has taken the necessary precautions by setting up isolation wards in case of an untoward situation. Although the situation is tense in Kerala, the health authorities have said that there’s no need to panic. The deadly bat-borne Nipah virus has claimed 17 lives in Kerala in 2018. Transmission of Nipah virus to humans may occur after direct contact with infected bats, infected pigs or from other NiV infected people.