New Delhi, Sept 15: The Nipah Virus is fiercer than the Covid-19 coronavirus. Its death rate ranges from 40-50 percent.
Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Rajeev Bahl on Friday shed light on the fatal diseases grooming across the country.
Bahl said the mortality rate among those infected with the Nipah virus is much higher compared to that of the Covid-19 pandemic. Addressing a press conference, Bahl said while Covid had a mortality rate of two to three percent, Nipah has a death rate of 40 to 70 percent.
Asserting that they are making all efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the southern state, the ICMR DG said, “We do not why the cases keep surfacing. In 2018, we found the outbreak in Kerala was related to bats. We are not sure how the infection passed from bats to humans. The link could not be established. Again we are trying to find out this time. It always happens in the rainy season."
According to the ICMR DG, India will be procuring 20 more doses of monoclonal antibody from Australia for the treatment of Nipah virus infection.
“We exported some doses of monoclonal antibody from Australia in 2018. Currently, the doses are available for only 10 patients," he said.
20 more doses are being procured. However, the medicine needs to be given during the early stage of the infection. Only phase 1 trial to establish the safety of the medicine has been done outside. Efficacy trials have not been done. It can only given as compassionate use medicine,” Bahl said.
While globally the antibody has been successfully given to 14 patients, no one in India has been administered with the doses so far, Bahl added.
