KOZHIKODE: The National Virology Institute, Pune, confirmed that the contagious fever that has killed several people in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts over the last fortnight is due to Nipah virus ( NiV). Six more people succumbed to symptoms suspected to be that of Nipah virus on Sunday. On Monday morning, a 31-year-old nurse at Perambra Taluk hospital succumbed due to suspected symptoms of the virus taking the final toll to 10. A high-level central team will visit the district on May 21 and inspect areas where the disease has been reported. It is the first detection in Kerala of the Nipah virus which has a high fatality rate and spreads mainly through bats, pigs and other animals. Its symptoms include fever, vomiting, headache and respiratory problems. Rajeev Sadanandan, additional chief secretary, department of health & family welfare, told TOI that the virus was confirmed in tests conducted at the Pune institute on samples of the three deceased from a famil...