Health officials in Malappuram district heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when a 78-year-old woman from Parappanangadi who had been under treatment in quarantine after contact with a Nipah patient and later passed away tested negative for the virus posthumously. Her funeral had been put on hold awaiting the test results.

Health Minister Veena George said that 498 people in the State were on the Nipah contact list. She said prevention activities should continue until September as per the Nipah calendar.

When 203 people are under observation in Malappuram, 116 are under observation in Kozhikode, 177 in Palakkad, and two in Ernakulam. Eleven of them are under treatment in Malappuram, with two in intensive care units. As many as 46 persons on the contact list in Malappuram have tested negative for Nipah so far.

In Palakkad, three persons are being treated in isolation. Five tests in Palakkad have been negative so far. The Minister said that 29 persons in the State were in highest risk category and 116 in high risk category. The Nipah-infected woman is under treatment in Kozhikode.

Meanwhile, a Central medical team on Wednesday visited Malappuram and Palakkad districts to coordinate the virus prevention efforts. The national joint outbreak response team appointed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will give a report to the Centre. The Central team is led by Pranay Verma, joint director at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The team includes experts from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, scientists, veterinary consultants and animal husbandry experts.