MALAPPURAM: The samples of 17 persons, who were on the contact list of the 14-year-old boy who died of the Nipah virus, tested negative on Tuesday. There are 460 people on the contact list. Of these, 220 people are in the high-risk category. 142 of them are health workers. 19 people on the contact list are still in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the fieldwork carried out by the health department officials as part of a joint effort to prevent the Nipah outbreak is progressing. Health workers have visited a total of 18,055 houses in Pandikkad and Anakkayam panchayats. While 728 fever cases were reported at Pandikkad, 286 cases were reported at Anakkayam.

A mobile laboratory of the National Institute of Virology has started functioning in Kozhikode for testing serum samples. As a result, more samples can be tested in the coming days.

A team of experts led by Dr Balasubramaniam from Pune NIV started working in the affected area to collect saliva from bats. If the presence of the virus is detected, genetic testing will be carried out. CCTV cameras have been installed in the affected areas to detect the presence of bats. Under the leadership of the Animal Husbandry Department, saliva samples of cattle and domestic animals are collected and handed over to an expert team from Bhopal.