Nipah virus claims life of one person in early January: IEDCR

One person has died of Nipah virus in the country within the first 10 days of this year.

The deceased woman, hailing from Rajshahi, had a history of consuming raw date juice, said speakers at a conference titled "Contagious diseases of winter and Nipah virus infection" organised by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Three cases of Nipah were reported in 2022, two of whom died, disclosed the speakers.

Director of IEDCR Professor Tahmina Shirin said Nipah virus spreads though the saliva or urine of bats in this country. People get infected with the virus when they drink raw date juice which is contaminated.

That person then spreads the infection to their family members or health workers.

"Raw date juice and half-eaten fruits should not be consumed," said Dr Tahmina Shirin.

The IEDCR director also said, "71% of people infected with Nipah virus succumb to their death. So, you should avoid consuming raw date juice."

The speakers at the conference also said that, it takes eight to nine days after consuming the juice to show symptoms of Nipah virus infection. In case of human-to-human transmission, symptoms appear after 6-11 days.

According to IEDCR's researchers, date juice is safe to drink after heating up and so is molasses. The organisation also advised date juice collectors to wash their hands with soap after collecting the juice.