Nipah virus: IEDCR warns people not to drink raw date juice
Bangladesh
Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) has warned people about the deadly Nipah virus, which normally spread in the country in winter.
The organisation urged media not to publish any news that encourages drinking raw date juice as people may get infected by the virus after drinking them, said a press release on January 23.
The IEDCR issued the warning following some electronic and print media news stories that encouraged people indirectly to drink raw date sap.
The virus spreads via unfiltered date juice and partly eaten fruits, which has been contaminated by bats in Bangladesh.
The organisation also urged social and cultural organizations of the country to abstain from organising any programmes and festivals surrounding raw date juice.
No vaccine has been discovered for the virus yet. Bat is the main carrier of the deadly virus. A person can contract the virus from both people and animals. The virus killed many people in the country since 2001.
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