India : Death rate due to Nipah virus is higher than Corona: ICMR

A new case of Nipah virus was confirmed in Kozhikode, Kerala on Friday, taking the total number of infected people in the state to six. The first two cases have been fatal. 

Danger of Nipah virus is increasing

New Delhi : The danger of Nipah virus is increasing with every passing day. The number of people suffering from this has increased in the last few days. According to experts, the death rate among people suffering from Nipah virus is higher than the deaths caused by Corona virus. This means that people who are suffering from Nipah virus are more likely to die as compared to Corona. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Chief Dr. Rajiv Bahl said that the death rate due to Nipah virus is higher than Corona. 

According to Dr. Bahl, the mortality rate of Nipah virus is between 40-70 percent, while that of Covid was 2-3 percent. Let us tell you that a new case of Nipah virus was confirmed in Kozhikode, Kerala on Friday, taking the total number of infected people in the state to six. The first two cases have been fatal. 

Amid the rise in cases in Kerala, India has asked Australia to provide 20 more doses of monoclonal antibodies to treat Nipah virus infection. ICMR has said that in view of the repeated outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala and its higher mortality rate than Covid, the work of making a vaccine to stop the spread of this disease should soon start.  

Dr. Bahl told PTI that we received some doses of monoclonal antibodies from Australia in 2018. At present, we have only so much medicine with which we can treat 10 patients. 

He said that 14 people infected with Nipah virus outside India have completely recovered after taking monoclonal antibodies. Only Phase 1 testing has been done to confirm the safety of the drug. However, efficacy has not been tested yet. 

In view of the increasing cases, all educational institutions in Kozhikode will remain closed for a week from today. Kerala Health Minister Veena George had said on Friday that the contact list of Nipah virus patients in Kerala has reached 1,080. Of these, 327 health workers are also included.