5 died of Nipah this year

Five of the eight people infected with Nipah virus have died in the country this year, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.

"We have so far received eight patients this year; five have died…drinking raw date juice, contaminated by bats carrying Nipah virus. Nipah virus infected people can transmit the disease. This is concerning," Zahid Maleque said while addressing a press conference at his office at the Secretariat.

Urging people not to drink raw date juice, the minister said people should avoid eating fruits which are half-eaten by birds.

"There is no cure for Nipah infection. There is no medicine or vaccines. Treatment is based on symptoms as like as the treatment of Covid-19," the minister said.

The government has stepped up an awareness campaign among people in this regard, he mentioned.

A special unit, equipped with ICU, has been prepared at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Dhaka's Mohakhali for providing services to the patients, according to the minister.