Sudden deaths to be declared notifiable disease in Karnataka amid scare over Covid-19 vaccines

Indian Express

12 hours ago

To ascertain the cause of sudden deaths among individuals below 45 years, the Karnataka government has decided to declare such deaths as a notifiable disease. The decision comes in the wake of speculations over Covid-19 vaccines being responsible for such deaths in the state.
Addressing a news conference on Monday, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government would start monitoring sudden deaths reported among those below the age of 45.
The decision has been taken based on the recommendations submitted by an expert committee formed under Dr C N Ravindranath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, to investigate sudden cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and cardiac deaths, and their possible links to Covid-19 vaccines. The committee, however, found no causal link between the vaccines and cardiac deaths among the youth.
'Sudden deaths will be a notifiable disease. If someone dies outside a hospital suddenly, it should be reported to the government. Autopsy will also be compulsory to ascertain the cause of death,' Rao said, adding that the Health and Family Welfare Department would issue directions for the same.
On speculation that the vaccines were linked to cardiac deaths, he said that there were complaints about mRNA vaccines causing myocarditis in some cases. 'However, none from the country was administered with it,' the minister said, adding that the Covid-19 vaccines helped save lives.
Dr Ravindranath, who was also present at the news conference, said that there was a five to six per cent increase in cardiac deaths post-Covid, which he attributed to a change in risk factors for cardiac diseases due to altered lifestyle since the pandemic. 'Cardiac deaths are not caused by just one reason. It is multifactorial,' he said, adding that more than 50 per cent of the cases were caused due to smoking.
Referring to a meta-analysis carried out by scientists on those affected by Covid-19, he said that 20 per cent of the patients who recovered continued to face fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and breathing problems. 'But there were no heart attacks or cardiac-related diseases,' he added.