The Nipah virus outbreak has got the whole country worried.
While the death toll due to the deadly Nipah virus, that broke out in Kozhikode, Kerala is on the rise, so is the panic surrounding it. There are multiple misinformed WhatsApp forwards doing the rounds which are not only adding to the fear but are also gravely misleading.
So we at FIT decided to get doctors to answer your concerns about Nipah virus and clear any misconceptions. We thank our readers who wrote to us. Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Consultant - Internal Medicine, Narayana Health City, Bangalore has answered some of them.
Keep sending your questions on fit@thequint.com.
What precautions to take if we have toddlers in our family and people are visiting from Nipah affected areas and staying in our house?
The most important precaution will be to avoid travelling to the infected areas.
In fact, the Government of Kerala has issued a travel advisory warning travellers. In case, someone has travelled to these location in the recent past, it is best to monitor their health, ask relevant questions on their well-being as symptom appearance and virus shedding may happen upto 3 -14 days.
Further, it is important to understand that not everyone who is in contact with the infected person develops the condition, some of them may be asymptomatic or carriers of the virus.
So the best way to safeguard your child will be to isolate the child from the person who has come from any of the areas where in the infection has occurred.
Can we eat dates? Are they safe from Nipah virus?
Dates are not typically grown in this part of the country and there by very less chances of direct contact with the infected bats. Hence it is safe to consume dates.
What happens if you’re infected by Nipah virus? There is no vaccination available for this virus yet, so is there no hope for the infected ones?
No, not everybody who is infected by Nipah will succumb to death. Human body is blessed with the most potent medicine called immunity.
The infected person’s body immunity coupled with medical care can help patients recover from the condition. In fact, the recovery can range from 30-50%.
If necessary care is taken at an early stage and with good supportive treatment, the recovery can be as high as 50%.
The Indian Council of Medical Research has requested for an anti-body that has is being developed in Queensland, Australia against Nipah virus which may come in handy to be imported. It has shown good results during animal clinical trails and we might have to explore administering them on the infected patients.
Have more questions on Nipah virus? Write to us at fit@thequint.com and we will get doctors to answer them for you.
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