Army jawan who died in Kolkata hospital was not suffering from Nipah virus, says medical report

Pune's National Institute of Virology test reports on Sunday cited that the soldier did not die of Nipah virus. The army had sent samples of a 27-year-old soldier's body fluids to ascertain whether he died of Nipah virus infection on Friday.

Seenu Prasad, who hails from Kerala and posted at the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William, was admitted to the Command Hospital here on May 20 and passed away on May 25.

He was admitted at the Command Hospital with fever on May 20 and passed away on May 25.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has set up an isolation ward for people being admitted with the 'mystery fever' at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Beliaghata in Kolkata.

Prasad had been on a month's leave to Kerala before resuming duty on May 13. His samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune which is the only agency in the country to certify whether it was a case of Nipah virus or not. The deadly Nipah virus has so far claimed at least 14 lives, mostly in Kerala.

For those unversed about Nipah virus, it is spread by fruit bats, causes communicable disease and is fatal for both animals and humans. The symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, drowsiness, respiratory illness, disorientation and mental confusion. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these signs and symptoms can progress to coma within 24-48 hours.