Online Desk: A woman, who was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital with symptoms of Nipah virus infection, died on Wednesday (March 1) night, 20 days after her father-in-law had died of the same virus. The deceased Farida Begum, 30, wife of Abdul Khalek of Chakoar village in Manda upazila of Naogaon district. The mother-in-law of Farida has also been undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital with the same symptoms. Farida’s husband said his wife was admitted to Manda Upazila Health Complex on February 7 with fever and cold. Later, the hospital authorities took samples suspecting that she was infected with Nipah virus and sent the sample to Dhaka for test.

On February 23, Farida was shifted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital where she breathed her last on Wednesday. Local people said Abdul Khalek along with his family took raw date juice on February 4. On February 6, Khalek caught fever and cold. He was taken to Naogaon Sadar hospital the next day and, later, he died on way to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital on February 8. Manda Upazila Health Officer Dr Bijoy Kumar Roy said already a medical team has been sent to the area and process is on to take necessary steps.

Meanwhile, Naogaon health department’s deputy civil surgeon Monir Ali Aknad said two women had died of Nipah virus in Sadar upazila and Manda upazila on January 6. Five people, so far, have died of Nipah virus across the country this year, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on January 29. Healthy people who come in contact with the infected ones also have possibility of being infected with the virus and it spreads from person to person quickly which is a matter of concern, he added. According to icddr,b in Bangladesh, Nipah virus is usually acquired through consumption of date palm sap contaminated with bat saliva or urine.