Nipah virus antibodies were detected from bat samples collected from Pandikkad in Malappuram from where the lone Nipah positive case was reported in this yearโs NiV outbreak in the State last month. A release from the Health department said that NiV antibodies were found in bat samples collected from within a 5-km radius of Pandikkad. A total of 27 samples of the Pteropus species of bats (fruit bats) had been collected, in which six samples showed the presence of NiV antibodies.
All samples from persons who were listed as contacts of the index case in the outbreak so far have tested negative for Nipah. A total of 472 persons had been included in the contactsโ list as per the Health departmentโs Nipah protocol. A total of 261 persons who have completed the mandated 21-day isolation period have been dropped from the list of contacts.
