Family members of the patients admitted at Kozhikode Medical College wear safety masks as a precautionary measure after the 'Nipah' virus outbreak. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: After Japanese Encephalitis, the districts of Gorakhpur and adjoining districts are highly susceptible to the deadly Nipah virus that has taken 10 lives in Kerala.

The doctors at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) feel that similar conditions prevail in Gorakhpur and Kerala where the Nipah virus is already cartiong havoc.

The microbiology dep-artment of the SGPGI had been assigned a a collaborative project for six viruses, including Nipah, by US-AID’s Eco Health Alliance but the project has not yet taken off.

The head of the microbiology department, Prof. T.N. Dhole, said that it will be the first collaborative study to be taken up on Nipah in the country.

“It will help in identifying biological, behavioural and ecological factors influencing viral diseases,” he said.