Nipah virus scare: Fruit and vegetables from Kerala banned in Gulf
\ With Kerala continuing to battle the infectious and deadly Nipah virus , all fruit and vegetables from the state have been banned in the majority of nations across the Arabian Gulf. The region is India's largest export market. Nipah has claimed 17 lives till now. Last week, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had ordered complete import restriction on fruit and vegetables from Kerala. Over this weekend, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait also announced officially that import in both categories would stop till further notice. Since most countries in the region have similar and closely knit Customs rules, media reports from Oman suggest it might also follow. ALSO READ: Homoeopaths claim to have a cure for Nipah virus, urge govt to test it out The brain-damaging Nipah virus appeared in Kerala early last month. It is contagious and there is no vaccine for it. The natural host of the virus is a fruit bat of the Pteropodidae family, according to the World Health Organi