Two children in Rajshahi died reportedly after eating unwashed plums, resulting in panic among the locals.
The deceased were identified as Muntaha Marisha, 2, and Muftaul Mashia, 5. They died two days apart.
The children’s parents Manjur Hossain, 35, and Poli Khatun, 30 have been kept in isolation at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).
The family lives in Rajshahi Cadet College quarter. Manjur Rahman is a teacher in the Department of Mathematics at Rajshahi Cadet College.
Relatives said that the house help of the family saw the children eat unwashed plums from a tree near their home. Both of them fell ill the day after eating the fruits.
Marisha, tragically died en route to the hospital on Thursday, while her elder sister, Mashia, passed away on Saturday afternoon during treatment at RMCH.
The two children were buried at their village home in Chuniapara of Durgapur upazila.
What doctors say
Doctors at RMCH are concerned as all tests for Nipah virus, coronavirus, and dengue conducted on the deceased children and the isolated parents have returned negative results.
They said after experiencing fever and vomiting, both children developed black spots all over their bodies, and hence they suspect the presence of an unidentified virus.
An expert team from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in Dhaka will investigate the situation in Rajshahi.
Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, ICU in-charge of RMCH, said: "The parents of the two children did not exhibit any signs of fever. They also mentioned that they did not consume plums themselves. However, they were in close contact with both children while they were unwell.”
The virus can be transmitted from children to parents. They are currently hospitalized and kept in isolation as a precautionary measure. Since the Nipah virus has not been detected in their bodies, they may be discharged soon, he added.
Regarding the children, he said he had never seen anyone die so quickly after fever and vomiting.
A senior doctor in Rajshahi, requesting anonymity, told Dhaka Tribune that there are only a few virus testing methods, including Nipah and influenza, in the country. And during Covid-19, its testing began.
Testing is not possible with any other viruses. In this case, it may not be possible to know whether the children were infected with any other virus, they said.
Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR, said: "The two children’s test results for Nipah virus came out negative. It is not yet known which virus they were infected with. For this, various experiments will be conducted. An expert medical team of the institute is being sent to Rajshahi.”
Brigadier General FM Shamim Ahmmed, RMCH director, said: "When nothing was found in the tests, I requested the additional director general (Administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services to send a specialist team to Rajshahi."
The four to five-member team of experts may arrive in Rajshahi on Monday. They will come to the hospital and visit the area from where the plums were picked up, he added.
Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Syeed Mohammad Faruk said: "We were already carrying out various programs to prevent eating raw dates to prevent Nipah infection. I have stopped eating raw palm juice. Nipah virus was thought to be the cause of death of the two children, but the test results came out negative.”