Nipah virus: Two patients from Manikganj die in Dhaka

Two people from Manikganj, who were infected with Nipah virus after consuming raw date juice, died in Dhaka while undergoing treatment.

The deceased were Babul Miah, 38, and Lutfor Rahman, 27, hailing from Putail union of Manikganj's Sadar upazila.

District Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Moazzem Ali Khan Chowdhury confirmed that Babul died after being infected with Nipah virus while Putail Union Parishad Chairman Jasim Uddin confirmed Lutfor's death.

It was learnt from the civil surgeon's office that Babul was admitted to Manikganj 250-bed General Hospital with fever and headache on 16 January. A day later, a team from Dhaka's International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) came and did his medical checkup.

On 18 January, he was shifted to a private hospital in Dhaka when his condition worsened and subsequently it was detected that he was infected with Nipah virus.

Babul breathed his last while undergoing treatment in the private hospital last Saturday, the civil surgeon's office said.

Local UP Chairman Jasim said Lutfor had been suffering from fever, headache and other complications after drinking raw date juice.

Though initially he took medicine from a local pharmacy, later he was hospitalised in Dhaka when his condition deteriorated, he said, adding that Lutfor died while undergoing treatment there on 16 January.

Civil Surgeon Dr Moazzem said they had information on Babul's death from the Nipah virus but are not aware of Lufor's cause of death.

According to icddr,b, consumption of raw date juice, contaminated with bat saliva or urine, causes Nipah virus.