DUBAI - Bahrain has asked its nationals to avoid travelling to India's Kerala until an outbreak of the rare Nipah virus, spread by fruit bats, is under control, the Gulf state's consulate in Mumbai said on its Twitter account on Wednesday.

The virus can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage, and the outbreak has already killed 10 people in southern India, with at least nine more being treated, officials said.

(Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi Editing by Catherine Evans) ((aziz.elyaakoubi@thomsonreuters.com; +971552994086);))