A health team on Wednesday conducts inspections in areas where cases of Kindipura virus were reported in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. (Ministry of Public Transport)
Dr Akhilesh Chandra Mishra, who led the NIV from 2002 to 2012 and managed the major Chindipura virus outbreak from 2003 to 2004, said spraying pesticides in surrounding areas would be more difficult than developing a vaccine for Chindipura. beneficial
The former director of the country's top virology institute, the National Institute of Virology (NIV), said the institute developed a vaccine against Kindipura virus in 2005 but that the disease had not emerged for years. No one accepted it.
Currently, the Kindipura virus is raging in more than a dozen districts of Gujarat, with a mortality rate of over 50%. The NIV on Wednesday confirmed that a four-year-old girl has become the first death from the Kindipura virus in Gujarat, taking the number of suspected cases in the state to 15 as of Thursday evening.
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Dr Akhilesh Chandra Mishra, who headed the NIV from 2002 to 2012 and managed the major Chindipura virus outbreak from 2003 to 2004, told News18 in an exclusive interaction that the institute has successfully developed a vaccine against the virus of vaccines. However, the virus disappears for long periods of time and only occasionally reappears, leading to a lack of interest from both vaccine manufacturers and the public.
Outbreak in April 2003
During the 2003-04 outbreak, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat had case fatality rates between 56% and 75%. The epidemic has taken a devastating toll, killing around 322 children, including 183 in Andhra Pradesh, 115 in Maharashtra and 24 in Gujarat. The virus has attracted global attention because it causes high mortality among children within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Due to the aggressive nature of the virus, NIV quickly sought a solution in the form of a vaccine.
“We developed a vaccine at NIV in June 2005, but no one took it. By that time, the virus had disappeared. Kindipura virus causes sporadic outbreaks, leading to a few cases in remote areas and causing panic. However, it It is not widely spread because the disease is effectively contained by spraying insecticides.
“As a result, industry is not interested in vaccines and the government cannot convince companies unless their profits are guaranteed.”
Mishra said they knew people would stop coming forward to get vaccinated once the alarm subsided. “So there's no point in trying to convince manufacturers.”
The current epidemic will also disappear soon, there is no reason to panic
Kindipura virus causes brain inflammation that can quickly escalate from flu-like symptoms to coma and death. The virus is mainly carried by female sandflies.
He believes that the current epidemic will subside soon and there is no reason to cause panic. “Sporadic outbreaks will continue to occur, but these sandflies are very sensitive to pesticides. Once the public becomes alert and starts spraying, the disease will disappear.
He said the disease belongs to lower socio-economic groups as these flies breed mainly in “kutcha houses” or small huts. “Sandflies are mainly found in Aboriginal areas or villages with Kucha houses.”
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However, as India progresses, the disease will eventually disappear. “There will come a time when the ecosystem will no longer support the growth of Kindipura virus. We are transitioning from kutcha houses to pukka houses. So as housing structures improve (even in remote areas) and pukka houses increase, Breeding opportunities will be reduced in these housing gaps.
Recalling his own experience, Mishra said spraying pesticides in the surrounding areas would be more beneficial than developing a vaccine against Kindipura. “This virus will go away very quickly, you never know if it will come back or be gone forever.”
