Samples of 10 more people test negative for Nipah in Kerala: Health min

Malappuram (Kerala): Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday that 10 more people who came into contact with a 24-year-old man who died of the Nipah virus in Malappuram district last week have tested negative for the disease.

Of the total 266 people on the contact list of the deceased, the samples from 26 people in the high-risk category have tested negative so far, she said.

A total of 11 new people were added to the contact list on Wednesday, and of them, five were in the high-risk category, she said in a statement.

Eighty-one people on the contact list were health workers, she added.

The minister conducted an evaluation meeting and took stock of the situation, the statement said.

The 24-year-old man, who died on September 9, was infected with the Nipah virus.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019.

The presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.