The health department authorities in Kerala heaved a sigh of relief on Monday as serum samples from eleven people on the contact list of the 14-year-old boy from Chembrasseri near Pandikkad in Malappuram district — who died of the Nipah virus on Sunday while under treatment for the disease at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital — tested negative for the virus.

Those who tested negative for the viral infection include the parents of the boy who died of Nipah on Sunday, two hospital employees from Palakkad, and two others from Thiruvananthapuram.

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Nine samples were tested at the Virology Lab at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, while two were tested at the Advanced Virology Institute in Thonnakkal.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said contact tracing, sample collection, and testing will continue to ensure that no infection goes unidentified. “At present, 406 people are on the contact list of the Nipah victim. Of them, 194 people, including 139 healthcare workers, are in the high-risk category. Fifteen people on the contact list are receiving treatment at various hospitals. Those who test negative and recover from symptoms such as fever will be discharged. However, they should continue in isolation as per protocol,” she said.

Meanwhile, the state health department officials have intensified their fieldwork as part of a joint effort to prevent a Nipah outbreak. Health workers visited 6,642 houses in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats on Monday. While 331 fever cases were reported at Pandikkad, 108 cases were reported at Anakkayam. At Pandikkad, only four of the 331 fever cases were on the primary contact list of the Nipah victim.

Malappuram District Medical Officer R Renuka said the serum samples from those four cases were collected for testing.