PANAJI

it was indeed a sigh of relief for the Kerala-based man, who was kept under observation at a hospital in Goa after showing symptoms of Nipah virus, has tested negative for the deadly infection.

The blood samples of the patient, sent for testing to Pune’s National Institute of Virology, have come out negative for the virus, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane informed today.

“The tests of the patient’s samples by molecular and serological methods are negative for Nipah,” Rane added.

The man, who was passing through Goa in a train and heading to Uttar Pradesh, had fallen unconscious at Thivim railway station on Monday, following which he was admitted to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

The patient initially showed symptoms of the Nipah virus because of which he was kept in the isolation ward of GMC.

The virus has so far claimed 13 lives in Kerala.