Kochi, July 5 -- A 38-year-old woman has tested positive for the Nipah virus at Palakkad district in Kerala, officials familiar with the development said on Thursday. The virus is also suspected to have caused a recent death due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Malappuram, they added.

The woman, who is from Nattukkal in Thachanattukara panchayat, is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district, added the officials.

"I got confirmation from the district collector that the woman's fluid samples have come back from National Institute of Virology, Pune, positive for Nipah virus. The district health services have prepared a list of the places she had gone to and the people she may have ...