The Health department has said that two sets of body fluid samples of the 43-year-old Nipah patient from Ramanattukara have tested negative for the virus in the past one week.But, the patient continues to be on ventilator support at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, since June 10. The infection was officially confirmed a day later. A release from the office of Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said on Tuesday (June 30) that the medical board would take a call on his follow-up treatment.Most of the close contacts of the patient are no longer on observation now. At present, only three persons in the lowest risk category are on the list. Four people in the highest risk category and three in the high risk category completed their mandatory 21-day quarantine period on Tuesday. They include two of his family members and two healthcare workers. Twenty four people in the lowest risk category too were removed from the list of those under observation.Mr. Muraleedharan said in the release that correct diagnosis and strong containment steps had stopped the spread of the infection. The department could prepare a complete contact list and keep them under observation. He said that this was made possible without declaring containment zones that could have affected the livelihood of the people. The native place of the infected person would be declared “Nipah free” after the completion of the 42-day observation period, he added. Published - June 30, 2026 08:40 pm IST