Another person on Friday tested positive for the Nipah Virus in Kerala’s Kozhikode. This took the number of infected persons in the state to six, of which four are active cases and the rest two had passed away earlier.
The virus gripped the coastal state of Kerala for the fourth time and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed that it has sought 20 more doses of the antibody vaccine from Australia. It has also said that the mortality among the infected is very high in the virus (between 40 and 70 per cent) compared to the mortality in Covid, which was 2-3 per cent.
The state government has announced that all the educational institutes in Kerala’s Kozhikode will remain closed till September 24. The closure — ordered in view of the Nipah outbreak — is applicable to schools, professional colleges, tuition centres and other educational institutions in the district.
This comes after the confirmation of the six infection of the Nipah virus.
India to Acquire 20 More Doses of Antibody Vaccine from Australia; Nipah Mortality Rate Very High
India has reached out to Australia for procuring 20 more doses of monoclonal antibody for the treatment of Nipah virus infection, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICRM) DG Rajeev Bahl said.
With repeated instances of Nipah outbreaks being reported and the mortality rate being very high compared to Covid, Bahl said that ICMR is also planning to start work on developing a vaccine against the viral disease.
“We got some doses of monoclonal antibody from Australia in 2018. Currently the doses are available for only 10 patients,” Bahl said, adding globally monoclonal antibody has been given to 14 patients infected with Nipah virus outside India and all of them have survived.
