Five cases of reovirus detected in Bangladesh

More research on the virus could help treat patients with encephalitis, says IEDCR director

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, or IEDCR, says it has detected five patients infected with the reovirus, the first such cases in Bangladesh.

The virus was detected in patients who displayed symptoms similar to the Nipah virus, had consumed raw date juice, and had encephalitis or brain inflammation, according to IEDCR Director Tahmina Shirin.

“When we tested them, they were negative for Nipah. But, when we checked for other viruses, we found they had reovirus. The virus has never been detected in Bangladesh before,” she said.

When asked about how the disease spreads and what its symptoms are, the IEDCR director said more research is needed on the matter.

Tahmina said that many patients in Bangladesh experienced inflammation of the brain but the cause cannot be identified.

“If we continue this work and find more viral infections found in encephalitis patients, it could be greatly helpful to their treatment.”

“It will also be useful to prove that there is no strict rule that requires the use of antibiotics indiscriminately in all cases.”

Nipah virus cases increase in Bangladesh during the winter.

Patients who are infected may experience severe pain, fever, dizziness, vomiting, and convulsions. The patient may become delirious, and sometimes even fall unconscious.

Symptoms may appear within seven to 14 days of the virus entering the body.

Nipah is spread by bats. When a bat drinks from date juice collection pots, the virus infects the juice. If a human drinks raw date juice, they become infected with the disease.

As such, doctors recommend that people not drink raw date juice or eat fruit that has been bitten by bats or birds.