Isolation ward, ICU beds at DNCC Covid Hospital ready for Nipah virus patients 

A 10-bed isolation ward and 10 more ICU beds are ready at DNCC Dedicated Covid-19 Hospital for the Nipah virus patients as the deadly virus spreads to almost half of the country. 

In a notification issued on 30 January, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has asked the hospital authorities to get ready for providing services to people infected with the deadly virus.  

The DGHS, in the notification, said infections of the Nipah virus have already been recorded in 28 districts of the country. 

A total of eight people got infected with the Nipah virus in Bangladesh this year. Of them, five persons, including two children and a woman, have died, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on 29 January.

Disclosing the figure, the minister said all the victims had histories of drinking date juice.

In Bangladesh, bats mainly act as carriers of the deadly virus. People usually get infected with the Nipah virus after drinking date or palm juice.

Professor Tahmina Shirin, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said the Nipah virus spreads through the saliva or urine of bats. People get infected with the virus when they drink contaminated raw date or palm sap. Those persons then spread the infection to their family members or health workers.

She advised people not to consume raw date or palm juice and fallen half-eaten fruits to prevent Nipah virus infections.

The World Health Organisation says the mortality rate due to the Nipah virus is between 40 and 75% globally. In Bangladesh, it stands at 71%.

According to icddr,b, the Nipah virus emerged in Bangladesh in 2001. Even if people recover from the sickness, they remain vulnerable to severe neurological issues. It also causes complications toward the end of pregnancy for women.