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Kozhikode: The original source of the Nipah virus outbreak that has killed 14 people so far in Kozhikode and Malappuram district in Kerala remains unknown. In an effort to trace the origins of the viral outbreak, the authorities will send in fresh samples from fruit bats to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, an official said.
Earlier, the 21 samples from pigs and fruit bats sent by the health officials to lab in Bhopal tested negative for Nipah virus.
The fresh samples have been collected from different species of bats found near the residence of Moosa in Kozhikode which is believed to be the source of the Nipah virus outbreak. It may be recalled that including Moosa, four members of his family succumbed to the deadly viral disease.
So far nearly 200 patients have been admitted to the hospital in Kozikhode and Malappuram and 26 out of them are kept under observation for showing symptoms of the contagious disease.
Meanwhile, the number of fresh cases have reduced with only three new patients tested positive for the virus and are receiving treatment at the Kozhikode Medical Hospital. In addition, five medical professionals have been sent to Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, to study the treatment procedures to be followed to treat severe cases, the sources said.