The Indian Army jawan who was suspected to have died from Nipah virus (NiV) tested negative for the infection.
A defence official said on Sunday that the fluid samples of the jawan which were sent to National Institute of Virology at Pune revealed that he was not suffering from the deadly virus that has gripped Kerala killing 16 and infecting many others.
Seenu Prasad, a 27-year-old Indian Army jawan from Kerala, died on Wednesday in Kolkata.
Posted at Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command, Prasad had visited his hometown in the southern state Kerala on a month’s leave. Prasad rejoined office on 13 May and was admitted to Command Hospital on 20 May following his failing medical condition.
The defence spokesperson had said that Prasad passed away five days later.
National Institute of Virology is the only agency in the country to certify whether it was a case of Nipah virus or not.
The Army had not confirmed whether Prasad’s death was caused by Nipah.