One person dead from Nipah virus in Bangladesh, says WHO

The World Health Organization said that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection.



The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia.



The patient in Bangladesh, aged between 40 and 50 years, developed symptoms consistent with Nipah virus on January 21, including fever and headache followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsion, the WHO added.



She died a week later and was confirmed to be infected with the virus a day later.



The person had no travel history but had a history of consuming raw date palm sap.



All 35 people who had contact with the patient are being monitored and have tested negative for the virus, and no further cases have been detected to date, the WHO said.

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