Saudi Arabia bans fruits, vegetables from Indian state

The Saudi Food and Drug Administration has temporarily banned frozen and processed fruit and vegetable imports from the Indian state of Kerala from Sunday.

The agency said in a statement that the ban was based on reports from the World Health Organization sparking concerns over the deadly Nipah virus in India.

The UAE has also banned imports from Kerala.

Indian health officials have not been able to trace the origin of the Nipah outbreak and have carried out a fresh round of tests on fruit bats from Perambra, the suspected epicenter of the infection.