NEW DELHI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A seven-year old boy who had tested positive for the West Nile Virus in southern Indian state of Kerala died Monday, health officials said.
The boy died in Kozhikode medical college hospital, about 375 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.
"Early today at 3:00 a.m. (local time) a boy who was tested positive for West Nile Virus somedays back died in the hospital," a health official at Kozhikode medical college hospital said. "It was the only one case. There is absolutely no need to panic as the boy was in isolation ward."
West Nile Virus spreads from birds to humans with the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. The mosquitoes contract the virus from infected birds.
The symptoms include cold, fever, body ache, fatigue and nausea, with complications leading to meningitis and death.
Authorities in the southern state have already issued a high alert.
Doctors said there were least chances of person to person transmission of the virus.
Last week, Indian health ministry rushed an expert team from the National Centre for Disease Control to support the state health authorities in managing the disease.
