The Nipah virus mystery deepened on Saturday as the samples collected from bats in Kerala’s Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, where 13 people have died of the infection, have tested negative for the virus. A report submitted by a central medical team to the Union Health Ministry also ruled out pigs to be the primary source of the virus.
The medical team led by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is now looking into other possible reasons behind the outbreak following the report findings.
A total of 21 samples, including that from seven species of bats, two species of pigs, one bovine and one caprine, were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal and the National Institute of Virology in Pune, said an official from the Ministry. “These included the samples of the bats which were found in the well in a house in Kerala’s Perambra from where the initial death was reported. They have tested negative for the Nipah virus,” he said.
Samples from humans suspected of contracting Nipah virus have tested negative. “Which means there are only 15 confirmed cases which include 12 deaths. Three persons are undergoing treatment,” the official added. Similarly, the samples from bats found dead in Himachal Pradesh, which were sent to the Pune institute, have been found negative and the two samples of suspected cases from Hyderabad were also negative.
The Health Ministry has urged people not to panic, asserting that the outbreak is “localised” to Kerala. It has issued advisories to the general public and healthcare providers to adopt preventive measures.