Bengaluru: Following a report on a 12-year-old boy's death due to the Nipah virus in Kerala, adjoining Dakshina Kanada district in Karnataka is on alert on Tuesday.  

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said, "I have instructed experts to study in detail about Nipah virus and give their suggestions on how to tackle it". 

A 12-year-old boy had succumbed to Nipah at a Kozhikode hospital on Sunday. The police have cordoned off an area of three kilometres radius around the boy's house. Eleven persons, who came in contact with the victim, have shown symptoms of the disease. The health administration has traced up to 251 contacts.

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Key facts about Nipah virus by WHO:

• Nipah virus infection in humans causes a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis.
• The case fatality rate is estimated at 40% to 75%. This rate can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management.
• Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.
• There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals. The primary treatment for humans is supportive care.
• The 2018 annual review of the WHO R&D Blueprint list of priority diseases indicates that there is an urgent need for accelerated research and development for the Nipah virus.