Nipah outbreak under control, says NIV chief

‘No ready vaccine available in the market till date’

The Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode district is localised and is now under control, Director of the Pune-based National Institute of Virology(NIV) D.T. Mourya has said.

“As per recent updates of screening of contact cases, it seems that the situation is under control and is limited to a locality, ” he told The Hindu. Asked if the outbreak indicated the prevalence of the virus in Kerala, Dr. Mourya said: “It is difficult to comment on the prevalence of the virus in Kerala at the moment without any study or seroprevalence or bat serosurvey.”

Virus on bats

He said the virus remains as an enzootic disease among the bat population. In India, there is no supporting data suggesting involvement of pigs. “Malaysian case studies show that the reservoir of the Nipah virus is Pteropus and pigs may act as amplifier. Studies on Nipah virus in Northeast India revealed that Pteropus giganteus bats are the reservoir and helps spread the infection,” he said.

On the methods used to test the confirmation of the virus, Dr. Mourya said that real-time RT-PCR and RT-PCR, reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), laboratory technique of molecular biology, were the frontline tests for examining clinical samples of humans in the early phase of the disease.

As of now, Dr. Mourya said that no ready vaccine was available in the market but many candidate vaccines had been claimed by researchers. “Supportive therapy is being recommended as no proper treatment is available but Ribavirin is recommended based on the earlier experience of patients after the outbreak in Malaysia,” he said.

However, precautionary measures should be stringently adopted by the hospital staff and caregivers of the patients infected by Nipah virus. “Restriction and control of visitor access, including limited movement, should be in place to minimise potential exposures to the virus. Allow access to only those necessary for the patient’s well-being and care, such as a child’s parent,” he said.

All hospital staff entering the Nipah virus-positive patient room should wear at least double gloves, gown (fluid resistant or impermeable) to cover clothing and exposed skin, eye protection (goggles) to prevent splashes on the eye. Besides, N95 mask to prevent respiratory droplet to enter. “Face shield, if used, will protect eye, nose, and mouth. Further, shoes should be closed with disposable shoe cover,’’ Dr. Mourya said.

He said that before exiting the isolation area of a patient with suspected infection, the hospital staff should carefully remove and dispose of protective equipment as per standard waste management protocol.