RIYADH – The Saudi Food and Drug Administration has banned frozen andprocessed fruit and vegetable imports from the Indian state of Kerala fromSunday.

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

The UAE has also banned imports from Kerala.

Indian health officials have not been able to trace the origin of the Nipahoutbreak and have carried out a fresh round of tests on fruit bats fromPerambra, the suspected epicenter of the infection. (Al Arabiya)