2024-02-27 19:43:00
Nipah virus (NiV) infection outbreaks are seasonal throughout the Bangladesh, cases generally occurring each year between December and April, corresponding to the harvest and consumption of date palm sap. Since January 1 and until February 9, 2024, two laboratory-confirmed cases of NiV have been reported in Dhaka division of Bangladesh. Both cases died (see news from February 5 and January 29).
WHO estimates the overall national risk to be moderate due to disease severity, treatment limitations, the natural habitat shared by bats and zoonotic transmission partners, and the fact that There are no vaccines approved to prevent human immunodeficiency virus infection.
Based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend any travel and/or trade restrictions on Bangladesh.
In the absence of a vaccine or approved treatment for Nipah virus disease, reducing or preventing infection requires strengthening surveillance for early detection and contact tracing, raising awareness of risk factors and support for steps people can take to reduce exposure to NiV. Case management should focus on providing timely supportive care and rely on a good laboratory system. Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat serious respiratory and neurological complications.
The WHO specifies the preventive measures to be implemented:
Reduce the risk of transmission from bats to humans: Transmission prevention efforts should first focus on reducing bats’ access to date palm sap and other fresh food products. Freshly collected date palm juice should be boiled and the fruits should be thoroughly washed and peeled before consumption. Fruit showing signs of bat bites should be discarded. Areas where bats are known to roost should be avoided.
Reduce the risk of transmission from animals to humans: Natural infection in animals has been described in farmed pigs, horses, and domestic and wild cats. Gloves and other protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues, and during slaughter and culling procedures. If possible, people should avoid contact with infected pigs. In endemic areas, when establishing new pig farms, the presence of fruit bats in the area should be taken into account and, in general, pig feed and pigsties should be protected once morest bats when possible.
Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission: Close, unprotected physical contact with people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus should be avoided. Hands should be washed regularly following caring for or visiting sick people.
Infection control in healthcare settings: Healthcare professionals caring for patients with suspected or confirmed infection, or handling their specimens, should practice standard infection control precautions at all times. As cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported, particularly in healthcare settings, contact and droplet precautions should be taken in addition to standard precautions. Airborne precautions may be necessary in certain circumstances. Samples collected from people and animals suspected of being infected with NiV should be handled by qualified personnel working in suitably equipped laboratories.
Source: World Health Organization
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