India, July 4 -- A 38-year-old woman in Kerala's Palakkad district has tested positive for the Nipah virus, while a suspected case from Malappuram district is currently awaiting test results, health officials said on Friday.

The woman, who is a resident of Nattukkal, is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district. Her samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for Nipah virus testing.

"The district collector informed me that the woman has tested positive for Nipah virus," president of the local panchayat Muhammed Saleem KP said.

Saleem said that officials were directed to step up surveillance measures and declare certain areas as containment zones. "Ward numbe...