This Karnataka doctor is at heart of fight against Nipah

BENGALURU: Microbiologist Dr G Arunkumar, who is at the vanguard of the fight towards the outbreak of the fatal Nipah virus in the nation, insists that there is not any wish to panic as measures to regulate its spread had been installed position. Arunkumar, who heads the Manipal Centre for Virus Research (MCVR) below Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka, is operating in Nipah-hit spaces of Khozhikode, Kerala, and communicates and coordinates with the medical neighborhood and the state executive.
Arunkumar, who was once instrumental in diagnosing the second one patient with the Nipah virus, believes the virus was once detected relatively early. This, he says, will prove a very powerful in containing it, even supposing there are most effective two labs — National Institute of Virology, Pune and MCVR — that are equipped with the bio safety level -3, the complicated usual of safety in labs, which is very important to care for an extraordinary and highly infectious virus like Nipah.

Arunkumar, who finished his early medical studies in his native Thiruvananthapuram, but who works in Karnataka, informed TOI: “The an infection began with one person in a space in Khozhikode and spread amongst members of the family. The different instances came about in the health center where the circle of relatives was once handled. Now, all precautions had been taken to forestall hospital-based an infection. These efforts had been replicated in the neighborhood too.”

Arunkumar revealed the virus would had been detected immediately had no longer the primary patient died before a test might be carried out. A pattern of body fluids corresponding to a throat swab, blood, urine and cerebral spinal fluid is needed to conduct a test. This was once bought from the second one patient and sent to the Manipal lab. The results were out in lower than 12 hours from the time the lab received the samples. Once the samples confirmed sure for Nipah, the medical neighborhood was once immediately pressed into prime alert.


“The first patient died and shall we no longer test,” Arunkumar stated. “The second patient from the same circle of relatives was once admitted on May 17 and we bought and tested a pattern of the patient’s body fluids on May 18. Once the consequences were out, we realised we were dealing with an extraordinary virus. Unfortunately, the second one patient died, but an epidemiological link between the 2 instances was once proven.”


Arunkumar claims the virus is very infectious and those at the biggest chance are the staffs treating the patient in the ICU. “When the patient is in ICU, the body fluid secretions and airborne infections are more,” he stated. “So the danger of transfer increases a great deal. That is why health center staffs are maximum at risk of an infection.”


Past analysis paintings of Arunkumar, who heads MCVR and leads the Regional Reference Laboratory for Influenza viruses established by means of the Government of India, includes epidemiological studies on respiratory syncytial virus an infection in kids and the superiority of measles and cytomegalovirus an infection in pregnant ladies, influenza, viral encephalitis and dengue amongst others.


This Karnataka doctor is at heart of fight against Nipah This Karnataka doctor is at heart of fight against Nipah Reviewed by Kailash on May 23, 2018 Rating: 5
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