¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Nipah virus, with a high fatality rate of 71 per cent, poses a severe threat to public health amid increasing infections across the country, with no available vaccine or treatment. 

The whole country is at the risk of Nipah virus infection, health experts warned.

They urged people to avoid consuming  raw date palm sap and half eaten fruits to prevent the infection.

Raw date palm sap and half eaten fruits are a primary source of the transmission of the virus to humans in Bangladesh if contaminated by bat secretions or saliva carrying the virus.

They also emphasised the need for nationwide awareness programmes, especially in villages, and further in-depth research on the virus to keep a tab on the changes of the characteristics of Nipah virus.

Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research adviser Dr Mushtuq  Husain said, ‘Nipah virus cases are found every year, affecting new places. Initially confined to a few areas in the northwestern region, the virus is now found in Chattogram and Narshingdi as well.’

There is also a risk of fast spreading of the virus as people purchase raw date palm sap online, he added. 

Nipah virus infections have spread in 34 of the 64 districts, including Naogaon, Faridpur, Tangail, Manikganj, Rajbari and Chattogram, with 343 diagnosed patients, of whom 245 have died since 2001, when  the first patient was identified in Meherpur, according to the IEDCR.

Children are the worst affected, with 142 of the 343 diagnosed patients are aged 0–17.

This year, all the five people, including two children, who officially tested positive for the virus, died in four districts — Naogaon, Khulna, Shariatpur and Manikganj.

‘This infection has always been alarming for public health. With a 100 per cent fatality rate this year, it once again reminds us of its deadly nature,’ said the public health expert Mushtuq Husain.   

The infection, which typically occurs between December and April during the harvesting and consumption of date palm sap, poses an even greater risk, as 28 per cent of the total 71 per cent fatalities involved person-to-person transmission, including a case of Nipah virus transmission through breast feeding, he said.

‘We still do not know how the virus is transmitted from person to person. So, those who will come into contact with people infected with the virus are advised to use masks, gloves, and other protective equipment,’ said the IEDCR adviser. 

Epidemiologist Abu Muhammad Zakir Hussain said that while all five people who died of the viral infection this year might have had low immunity. 

Further research is needed to determine if the virus is changing over time and becoming more deadly, he said.

He also blamed the destruction of nature in the name of development for facilitating virus transmission through bats, the primary carriers of Nipah virus in Bangladesh.

‘Bats are not getting enough food from forests, so they are coming into localities to drink raw date sap and transmitting the virus to humans,’ said Zakir Hussain, a member of the Health Reform Commission.

Experts said that patients needed immediate medical intervention if symptoms of Nipah virus infection, including fever, headache, unconsciousness, nausea or vomiting and respiratory distress, appear in 28 days after consuming raw date palm sap.

Mentiong that the virus is deadly because it affects the brain, the experts said that If patients survive, they might experience gait problems, blurry vision, sensory loss or changes, difficulties with concentration, hearing loss, and personality changes, among other symptoms. 

The virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1998, spreading to Singapore and later becoming endemic in Bangladesh and India from 2001.

Bangladesh has recorded the highest number of Nipah virus patients so far, followed by India with 104 patients, Malaysia and Singapore with 276 patients and the Philippines with 17 patients.

Bangladesh experienced several Nipah outbreaks over the years. The deadliest year was 2004, when 50 of the 67 patients died across the country, followed by  in 2001, when nine of the 13 patients died in Meherpur.

Bangladesh is scheduled to conduct Phase 2 trials of the Nipah virus vaccine in 2025 developed by Oxford University.  

The IEDCR has advised anyone exhibiting any symptoms of Nipah virus to visit the nearest hospital or contact the institute at 01907801856 or ICDDR,B at 01304068800.