The Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Rajeev Bahl, issued a stark warning on Friday, emphasizing the significantly higher mortality rate associated with Nipah virus infections when compared to COVID-19. Bahl highlighted that the mortality rate for Nipah virus cases ranges from 40 to 70 per cent, in stark contrast to the 2-3 per cent mortality rate for COVID-19 cases.
As the number of active Nipah virus cases continues to rise in Kerala, the central government has taken a proactive step by announcing its decision to procure 20 doses of monoclonal antibody treatment from Australia to combat the Nipah virus.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals and can also spread through contaminated food or direct person-to-person contact.
Kerala has witnessed six confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection, with two fatalities reported.
Discussing the government's procurement of additional antibody doses, Rajeev Bahl explained, “We received a limited supply of monoclonal antibody from Australia back in 2018. Presently, these doses are available for only 10 patients.”
"An additional 20 doses are being acquired. However, it is crucial to administer this medicine during the early stages of infection," he added. Notably, no individuals in India have received this medication thus far.
According to the ICMR DG, only 14 Nipah virus patients outside India have received monoclonal antibody treatment, and encouragingly, all 14 of them have survived.
Rajeev Bahl clarified that the use of monoclonal antibody treatment is categorized as "compassionate use medicine." He pointed out that while phase 1 trials have been conducted outside India to ascertain the safety of the medicine, efficacy trials have not been conducted yet. Therefore, its use is currently limited to compassionate cases.
Decisions regarding the utilization of this antibody treatment will be made jointly by the Kerala government, medical professionals, and the affected patients' families, according to Rajeev Bahl.
