Malappuram: Health Minister Veena George on Friday announced that the Nipah-infected patient from Valanchery has tested negative after two consecutive samples confirmed the absence of infection. The patient continues to undergo treatment at the Perinthalmanna EMS Cooperative Hospital.

Dr Jithesh, a specialist from the hospital’s intensive care unit, provided an update on the patient’s condition. While the critical phase has not yet fully passed, the patient’s vital signs are steadily improving. For the past 12 days, the patient has been breathing unassisted on ambient air without the aid of a ventilator. The heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels remain within normal limits.

Although the patient has not regained full consciousness, doctors report gradual improvement in brain activity. Authorities remain hopeful that the infection will not spread further. As a full incubation period has passed since the first case was detected, the risk of further transmission appears low. Nonetheless, the call centre and support mechanisms will remain operational for a few more days.

Doctors believe the patient could make a full physical and mental recovery within weeks. The critical care team, including Dr Jithesh, Dr Vijay, Dr Mujeeb Rahman, and pulmonologist Dr Dharitri, continues to monitor progress closely. If recovery continues as expected, the patient may be shifted out of intensive care and gradually reintroduced to normal life. If successful, this will mark the second instance in Kerala where a patient has been saved after contracting Nipah in its early stages.

When Nipah was first detected in Kerala, the case fatality rate exceeded 90%, in line with global figures. However, the introduction of antiviral treatment and monoclonal antibody therapy since 2021 has significantly reduced the fatality rate. In 2023, it dropped to 33%. Despite this progress, saving the first patient to test positive remains an uncommon achievement.