The move by the Ministry of Health and Population comes following an outbreak of the deadly virus, which killed a 12-year old boy in the southern state of Kerala in India.

At least two health workers have also been infected in the state, according to local media reports.

“We have at least 118 sentinel sites throughout the country,” Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, told the Post. “We have asked them (health workers) to remain vigilant and send samples of the suspects to the National Public Health Laboratory.”

Doctors say just like the coronavirus, Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which is transmitted from animals and to humans. But Nipah is far more deadly than the coronavirus that has wreaked havoc throughout the globe. Transmission generally occurs when people come in direct contact with infected animals or through the consumption of the meat of infected animals.