NIV team detects Nipah virus in two bat species in Maharashtra

The danger of a third wave persists as the second wave of corona subsides. Efforts are currently underway to speed up the statewide vaccination campaign to stem the third wave. The deadly Nipah virus has been found in two species of bats in Maharashtra for the first time by scientists from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV).

In March 2020, a species of bat with the Nipah virus was found in a cave in Mahabaleshwar, Satara. Dr. Pragya Yadav, the head of the research team, said that Nipah virus had never been found in bats in the state before. Nipah virus has already been detected in some states in the country. The virus is transmitted to humans through bats.

Nipah virus is considered very dangerous. No drugs or vaccines are available on Nipah. Mortality after Nipah virus infection is very high. Most people with covid disease recover. The recovery rate of almost all the states in the country is above 90 per cent. The mortality rate is between 1 and 2 percent. Due to non-availability of medicine on Nipah, the mortality rate is above 65%.

Over the past few years, bats have been known to spread the virus. Viruses such as Ebola and Marburg were spread through bats. Some experts have suggested that the coronavirus may have originated in bats. The Nipah virus was first detected in Malaysia in 1998-99. The virus was then found in pigs and pig caregivers. At that time, the death rate was 40 percent. Nipah was discovered in 2001 in Siliguri, West Bengal. Later in 2007, Nipah was found in Nadia district of West Bengal. In 2018, 18 people died due to Nipah in Kozhikode, Kerala. Then in 2019, Nipah was found again in Kozhikode.