A 47-year-old man died on Sunday due to West Nile fever in Thrissur district. This is the first fatality in the state caused by the vector-borne infection in the last three years.
The health department has directed to eliminate mosquito breeding sites to prevent the disease.
“A special team from the medical office visited the locality of the victim and the district vector control board took samples from various parts of the district for testing. Steps were taken to destroy the mosquito breeding sites in the locality,” the release said.
The health department said West Nile fever is spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes. It was first detected in 1937 in Uganda. The fever was first detected in Kerala in 2011 and a six-year-old boy from Malappuram died due to the fever in 2019.
It said the West Nile virus can cause a fatal neurological disease in humans but most of those infected will not show any symptoms. It is mainly transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes.