The directorate general of health advises washing fruit before eating and warns against consuming raw date juice
Published : 14 Dec 2023, 08:12 PM
The Directorate General of Health Services, or DGHS, has issued a warning for Nipah virus this winter, urging Bangladeshis to stay safe.
In an emergency notice on Thursday, the DGHS warned people against eating partially eaten fruit, consuming the raw juice of dates, and advised them to wash fruit with water before eating.
The DGHS also urged date juice collectors and vendors not to sell raw juice to anyone. There is, however, no restriction on eating jaggery made from date palm juice.
The symptoms of Nipah include fever, headache, convulsions, delirium, fainting, and, in some cases, shortness of breath. The disease poses a major health risk.
Anyone who shows symptoms of Nipah should be sent to the hospital immediately and those who have come in contact with the patient must wash their hands thoroughly with soap, the notice said.
The deadly viral disease has spread across Bangladesh in the past few years. The virus is transmitted through raw date juice that contains the excrement or saliva of infected bats. Anyone who drinks infected juice will get the disease.
Ten of the 14 people who were infected with the disease last winter died. The death rate for the disease is over 70 percent, so prevention is the best way to stay safe, the DGHS said.
Cases were found in Rajbari, Shariatpur, Pabna, Natore, Rajshahi and Narsingdi in 2023, with the southern and southwestern regions seeing more cases.
Nipah was first detected in Bangladesh in 2001 in Meherpur. In 2004, there were more cases and deaths from the disease. Of the 67 patients that year, 50 died. Last year saw the most cases and deaths since 2015.