Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 21 (IANS) Coming as a relief, 24 more samples tested negative for Nipah in Kerala Kozhikode which reported two deaths from the virus last week, officials said on Thursday.

Three more results are awaited, they added.

With timely action, the district authorities managed to effectively contain the spread and limited it to just six positive cases,even when they had identified 1,286 suspects.

Since the scare began, 352 samples were sent for testing and with no positive cases in the past five days, authorities have started to breathe easy, even though caution continues at the two places which reported two deaths.

On Thursday, there were 952 people under observation and the condition of a nine-year-old boy who was positive has turned much better.

The NIV Pune officials are continuing their studies and testing with the bats in the affected two places, but still have not been able to either get a positive result nor have they been able to identify the cause of it.

It was in 2018 that the Nipah was first reported in Kozhikode, in 2019 it was at Ernakulam, only to return to Kozhikode in 2021 and resurface in 2023.