Big relief: 6 Nipah samples test negative

Kochi: Samples of six people, including three nurses and a nursing assistant, who had attended on a college student infected with Nipah virus, have tested negative and indicated the virus has not spread, Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja said on Thursday.

The results of the blood tests of the six have come as a huge relief for Kerala authorities trying to stop the spread of the highly infectious virus that had left 17 people dead in the state last year.

The Health Department, however, will continue to maintain vigil for sometime.

The government also urged the people to continue to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

“A major concern was allayed. But we will continue to remain alert,” a visibly relaxed state Health Minister K K Shailaja told reporters here as she announced the results of blood tests from the National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The condition of the 23-year-old college student, diagnosed with Nipah infection, is stable, the minister said.

The minister said the six of them, who tested negative, had direct contact with the Nipah-infected patient.

“They have tested negative for Nipah. This indicates that the virus has not spread in a big proportion. It is a matter of big relief for us,” the minister said.

Result of the sample of the seventh person is awaited, she said. They are currently being treated at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, here.