A total of five people in Bangladesh have died from Nipah virus infection this year.
The virus has spread across the country, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research (IEDCR) during a discussion on Nipah virus risks on Thursday.
IEDCR Director Professor Tahmina Shirin presented data on the virus, revealing that it was first identified in Malaysia, and was spread by pigs.
Bangladesh reported its first Nipah virus case in 2001, and IEDCR, in collaboration with icddrb, began working on the virus in 2006. Since then, 343 cases have been identified in Bangladesh, with a 71% mortality rate. Survivors often suffer long-term neurological complications.
Tahmina Shirin said that all five cases reported this year have been fatal. The victims include two from Manikganj and one each from Khulna's Dakop, Naogaon, and Shariatpur's Naria.
Highlighting 2023 data, she said Nipah virus transmission has occurred through new routes. One case involved a mother who consumed raw date palm sap and breastfed her child; both were infected, though the mother survived.
Previously, Nipah virus was known to spread through raw sap, bat-contaminated fruits, and human-to-human transmission.
Former IEDCR Chief Scientific Officer ASM Alamgir said the entire country is now at risk of Nipah virus.
Despite the high mortality rate, 88 Nipah survivors are being monitored, with 52 under regular IEDCR follow-ups, he added.
