Considering the outbreak of Nipah virus in the Southern part of the country, an advisory has been issued by Animal husbandry department to Udaipur district level authorities.

Udaipur has a huge fruit bat population along with other varieties. Gulab Bagh is known to have a huge bat population. Also, one can see scores of bats flying over Lake Pichola around sunset.

Also, taking into consideration the large bat population in rural areas like Kotra, officers and field staff have been put on alert to check unusual dealths of animals or birds. People have also been instructed not to consume fruits that may have been bitten by birds or animals.

Rahul Bhatnagar, Chief Forest Conservator noted that even though bat counting has note been done in Udaipur, its population may be upward of lakh in Udaipur alone. He noted that washing fruits that have been bitten by bats would not help in preventing spread of Nipah virus since saliva of the bat would have entered the fruit. Hence, people need to completely avoid fruits that may have animal/bird biting marks.

Bhatnagar added that while the virus has so far affected only a family in Kerala, but staying alert is essential.

So far there has been no cure for this virus and hence prevention is the only cure.