The virus is transmitted from animals such as pigs and fruit bats to humans.

Health authorities in India’s Kerala state have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus.

According to the state’s health minister, an additional 60 people have been identified as being in the high-risk category of having the disease.

The Nipah virus infection is a “zoonotic illness” transmitted from animals like pigs and fruit bats to humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO has described the virus as a priority pathogen because of its potential to trigger an epidemic.