JIPMER patient with suspected Nipah symptoms tests 'negative' for virus

A 52-year-old man from neighbouring Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu who was admitted with symptoms of Nipah has tested negative for the virus, a top official of the Puducherry Health Department said Friday.

The test report received from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, indicated that the samples from the patient is negative for Nipah, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services K V Raman said in a press release issued here.

The patient, identified as Natarajan, was admitted to the JIPMER here on June 11, soon after he was suspected of having symptoms of Nipah, Raman said.

Natarajan, working in Guruvayoor in Kerala, had come to his native town of Cuddalore when he fell sick. He was admitted to a hospital with high fever and suspected encephalitis, and was referred to the JIPMER for diagnosis.

The body fluids of the patient were then sent to the institute in Pune, Raman said.

Amid growing concerns over the case in Kerala, the Puducherry government had said it was fully geared to tackle the virus and isolation wards were set up in hospitals to prevent the disease from entering the Union Territory.

Same were the fears in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where mobile medical teams screened sick travellers coming from Kerala and increased awareness drives were taken up.

It may be noted that this year, the first case of Nipah virus was reported in Kerala. This comes exactly a year after 17 people fell victim to the deadly virus in the state.