NIPAH VIRUS – BANGLADESH (02): FATAL
A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Mon 29 Jan 2024
Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
[edited]
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/nipah/bangladesh-reports-2-fatal-nipah-virus-cases
A media outlet in Bangladesh has reported that 2 men have died from
Nipah virus infections, and local officials said both had consumed raw
date juice — a known risk factor for contracting the disease —
before they became ill. The cases are the country’s first of the year
[2024].
Nipah virus cases in Bangladesh follow a seasonal pattern, from
December through May. The period coincides with the harvesting of palm
sap and festivities related to the process. The sap can be
contaminated by the saliva, urine, or droppings from fruit bats, which
are thought to harbor the virus. The virus can then spread from person
to person.
According to the Dhaka-based Business Post, one of the patients is a
38-year-old man who was admitted to a hospital in Manikganj district
on 16 Jan [2024]. When his condition worsened, 2 days later, he was
transferred to a hospital in Dhaka, where his Nipah virus infection
was confirmed. The other patient is a 27-year-old man from the same
district who was initially treated with products from a local pharmacy
after his symptoms began and was hospitalized in Dhaka after his
condition deteriorated.
Bangladesh reported 14 cases in 2023, 10 of them fatal, putting the
country’s deaths from the virus at their highest level in 5 years.
Nipah virus infections have a high case-fatality rate, between 45% and
75%. There are no approved treatments or vaccines, and the World
Health Organization has designated it a priority disease for research
and development. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
has also prioritized Nipah virus for countermeasure development.