A 57-year-old man from Palakkad district in Kerala, who died on July 12, is suspected to have been infected with the Nipah virus, prompting the government to ramp up contact tracing and field-level surveillance in the area, reported news agency PTI.

The man had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in this northern district.

His samples were tested at Manjeri Medical College, where the result came back positive for Nipah, Health Minister Veena George said in a statement, reported PTI.