Source: The Daily Star [edited]
The government on Friday [4 Feb 2011] confirmed the disease as Nipah
virus encephalitis that claimed at least 21 people over the last few
days in Lalmonirhat and Rangpur. It means inflammation of brain and
infected rats [sic; bats] are the carrier of the disease, said
doctors at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research
(IEDCR). They cautioned about drinking raw date juice and about bats,
saying rats [sic; bats] usually drink date juice at night. "The
laboratory test has confirmed the virus as Nipah," said Prof Mahmudur
Rahman, director of the IEDCR.
Meanwhile, 4 more people, including a 14-year-old girl, died in an
outbreak of encephalitis in northern parts of the country Lalmonirhat
and Rangpur Thursday night and Friday [3 and 4 Feb 2011], taking the
death toll to 21, report our correspondents in Lalmonirhat and Rangpur.
2 more people -- ages 15 and 2, residents of South Kolkond village in
Gangachara upazila, Rangpur -- contracted the disease on Friday [4 Feb 2011].
The IEDCR director said the virus spreads through the saliva, urine
and stools of the infected rats [sic; bats].
The latest deceased were identified as a person aged 56, of Baraipara
village; a person age 42, of South Goddimari; and a 3rd person age
18, of Gendukuri, village in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat and a
4th person age 14, of South Kolkan village under in Gangachara
upazila of Rangpur.
A 3-member medical team led by civil surgeon of Rangpur Rejaul Karim
visited the house of one victim in the morning.
The residents of Hatibandha and Gangachara upazilas have been
terrified with the outbreak of the virus and many of them left their houses.
--
Communicated by:
Health Map Alerts via ProMED-mail
[This is the annual Nipah virus transmission season. Unsurprisingly,
the "unknown disease" has now been confirmed as due to Nipah virus
infections. Now there are cases of Nipah virus infection with deaths
going on in 2 localities in Bangladesh. Clearly, a public education
campaign is needed in villages to keep fruit bats away from palm
juice and discourage people (especially children) from eating fruit
on which bats have been feeding.
Mod.CP provided a good summary of Nipah virus transmission and
epidemiology in ProMED-mail archive number 20100122.0250. Unlike the
initial Nipah outbreak in Malaysia, human cases in Bangladesh do not
involve pigs, transmission being from _Pteropus_ fruit bats to humans
via contaminated fruit or palm juice.
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