Are we paying enough heed to curb the Nipah virus?

It is despicably unfortunate as the year 2023 marks 22 years since the Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Bangladesh in 2001, causing concern among people about another growing deadly disease.

Nearly a quarter of a century since then, we stand with minimal research about NiV, and hence, no success in the development of a vaccine and any substantial pharmacotherapy for NiV so far.

In winter, Bangladesh people love to be involved in the season’s delicacies, raw date juice being one of them. But most people are unaware of the danger it entails.

Consuming contaminated raw date juice can get people infected with Nipah virus, which has a high-case-fatality rate of around 71 percent and no vaccine. According to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research (IEDCR) which started its surveillance on Nipah virus in 2006, a total of 339 patients have been diagnosed, of whom 240 died.

This year, teenagers were mostly infected as 36 recorded cases were among under-20 age groups.

Besides, it says the virus was found in a mother’s breast milk in Rajbari district this year for the first time.

This year, according to the IEDCR data, the NiV spread in seven districts — Rajshahi, Naogaon, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Pabna, Natore, and for the first time in Narsingdi.

Experts say Nipah virus usually spreads to humans from animals or through contaminated food, but it can also be transmitted directly between people. Basic hygiene measures can prevent the spread of the disease.

They suggest that before eating fruits and vegetables, one must wash them properly. Any fruit that was eaten by a bat or any animal or bird should be avoided.

To them, symptoms of infection include intense fever, nausea, respiratory complication, headaches, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, and fainting, while severe cases can involve seizures and brain inflammation that result in a coma.

There are various challenges when it comes to containing the outbreaks of the virus in a country like Bangladesh.

The government’s awareness campaign has been inadequate, mostly limited to publishing newspaper advertisements and notices on government websites.

Although the hotspots of the virus have been identified, screening systems are absent in some of those, while testing facilities have not been developed at upazila-level and even in most district-level hospitals.

In a nutshell, a public education campaign should be launched country-wide.

The government and the ministry of health should allocate necessary resources and funds to help speed up vaccine trials and suitable antiviral development.

Besides, adopting precautionary measures on an individual and social level will help nip this evil in the bud and curb the disease.