Nipah update: Fruit bats didn't carry the virus

With 17 people succumbing to the deadly Nipah Virus, the Kerala government has been racing against time to find the source of the infection. However, the initial blame on the bats found in a well has turned out to be futile with the laboratory in Pune discrediting them as the carrier of the virus. 

However, officials have said that it doesn't mean that fruit bats, which have been source of infection for outbreaks reported in previous sprees or countries, can be ruled out as yet and insist that enough samples haven't been collected and tested. 

Incidentally, there is yet no vaccine to treat the virus and treatment is through intensive care with a high mortality rate of up to 75 per cent.