Man dies of Nipah virus at DMCH

A 22-year-old youth from Narsingdi, who was infected with the Nipah virus, died yesterday while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Shah Alam breathed his last at the hospital's emergency department around 8:00pm, DMCH Director Brigadier General Nazmul Haque told The Daily Star.

The patient was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a fever. As his condition deteriorated, doctors suggested a Nipah virus test and it came out positive yesterday evening. He died shortly afterwards.

Shah Alam used to live in Raipura upazila's Shibpur area with his family.

Rasel Mia, the deceased's brother-in-law, said a few days back, he and five to six of his friends had consumed raw date juice.

The relative added that Shah Alam had a fever last Thursday. He was given paracetamol tablets. The next day, the fever worsened and he became dizzy and started vomiting.

He was taken to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital, from where he was sent to DMCH on Friday night.

At least 11 people have been infected with the Nipah virus so far, and of them, eight people died.

Cases of the virus have been reported in Rajbari, Naogaon, Rajshahi, Shariatpur, Pabna, Natore and Narsingdi this year.

The highest number of three deaths was reported in Rajbari, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Urging people not to consume raw date juice, Health Minister Zahid Maleque recently said fruits half-eaten by birds should not be consumed.

Last month, IEDCR officials also advised people to not drink raw date juice, the main source of the Nipah virus in the country.

According to the IEDCR, infected people initially develop symptoms such as fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat. An undetected patient can even fall into a coma within 24 to 48 hours.

There are currently no drugs or vaccines that specifically target Nipah virus infection. The primary treatment for humans is supportive care.

The virus was first identified as the cause of an encephalitis outbreak in 2001 in Meherpur. Since 2001, Nipah virus patients have been found in 33 districts.

In 2006, the Nipah Surveillance and Laboratory was established at the IEDCR.

Since then, 337 cases of the infection were documented. Of those infected, 235 died, indicating a very high mortality rate -- 71 percent, according to the IEDCR.