NIPAH VIRUS INFECTION

NIPAH VIRUS INFECTION 

According to the World Health Organisation ,Nipah virus or NiV infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that cause severe disease in both animals and human beings .The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family ,Pteropus genus.
Niv first identified in 1998 during an outbreak in Malaysia.There is no vaccine for either humans or animals.The primary treatment for human cases is intensive medical care.

Zidovudine-uses, dosage and adverse effects

Zidovudine (ZDV)

Brands-Retrovir,Zidovir

Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.ZDV is of the nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) class.It works by inhibiting the enzyme reverse transcriptase that HIV uses to make DNA and therefore decreases replication of the virus.

Antiretroviral drugs do not cure HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection; they only temporarily suppress viral replication and improve symptoms. Patients receiving these drugs

require careful monitoring by appropriately trained health professionals in an adequately resourced setting. Rigorous promotion of measures to prevent new infections remains

essential and its need is not diminished by the availability of antiretroviral drugs. Effective therapy requires the simultaneous use of 3 or 4 drugs; alternative regimens are necessary

to meet specific requirements at start-up, to substitute for first-line regimens in cases of intolerance, or to replace failing regimens. The use of a 3- or 4-drug combination as specified in the WHO treatment guidelines is recommended. The use of fixed-dose preparations for these combinations is also recommended if the pharmaceutical quality is assured and interchangeability with the single products is demonstrated as specified by the relevant drug regulatory authority.

Pharmacovigilance Programme of India(PVPI)

Pharmacovigilance has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the science and activities relating to the detention ,assessment ,understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine related issues.
WHO established its programme for international drug monitoring in response to the Thalidomide tragedy happened in the year of 1961.Latter WHO decided to start pharmacovigilance programme at the country level .

Pharmacovigilance programme in India
The central drugs standard control organisation (CDSCO) New Delhi,under aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ,Government of India initiated a national wide pharmacovigilance programme in July 2010 with AIIMS New Delhi as National coordination Centre (NCC)for monitoring ADRs in the country for safe -guarding public health by ensuring the safety of medical products.The NCC was shifted from AIIMS ,New Delhi to Indian Pharmacopoeia Commision (IPC) Ghaziabad on 15th April 2011.