Tests negative of 10 contacts of Nipah victim

26 people who had close contact with the 24-year-old victim have tested negative for the zoonotic virus carried mainly by fruit bats

In further relief for the Kerala health department, samples of 10 close contacts of the Nipah virus victim who died on September 9 came back negative following tests, officials said.

Eleven more people were added to the contact list today out of which five are in the high-risk category. The contact list now has 266 persons on it. (REUTERS)

So far, 26 people who had close contact with the 24-year-old victim have tested negative for the zoonotic virus carried mainly by fruit bats.

Those who tested negative on Wednesday included the victim’s close family members as well as the doctor who treated him, health minister Veena George said in a statement.

Eleven more people were added to the contact list today out of which five are in the high-risk category. The contact list now has 266 persons on it.

While six people on the contact list are under isolation at the Manjeri Government medical College hospital, 21 others are a private hospital in Perinthalmanna.

Surveillance on the related symptoms like having a fever has been carried out in over 7,900 homes in the containment zones of two panchayats in Malappuram district.

The news comes on the backdrop of the state reporting Mpox cases as well. The infection spreads from person to person mainly through close contact and its common symptoms are fever, sore throat, headache, swollen lymph nodes and muscle aches