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**Treyfish** · April 21, 2007, 12:40 AM

Re: Undiagnosed deaths in Bangladesh

This was the only thing i could find on this story.

An outbreak of an unknown severe disease was reported in a remote village less than 20km from the border with India. At the same time a similar disease was causing deaths on the Indian side of the border. At the request of the Bangladesh Ministry of Health, WHO mobilized the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and an international team was dispatched.

http://www.who.int/csr/outbreaknetwo.../en/index.html On this page is a link to the reports on the disease outbreak page that has been removed .

**Snowy Owl** · April 21, 2007, 06:05 AM

Re: Undiagnosed deaths in Bangladesh

Thank you Treyfish for getting this one,

Here is some historical perpective done via the Daily Star

April 11th 2007

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/11/d7041101107.htm

Bird Flu
Over 1,000 chicken culled in 2 districts
Staff Correspondent

All 238 free-ranged poultry of different households in Shibobas of Sharsha upazila in Jessore were culled yesterday as the deadly avian influenza was detected there. Besides, 955 chickens were culled at a poultry farm in Baro Durgapur under Sadar upazila in Gaibandha.
The central avian influenza control room sources said their officials culled all the free-ranged poultry from 44 houses in Shibobas after detecting bird flu in the samples collected from the village. The villagers sent a number of samples to their laboratory and the carcasses tested bird-flu positive, the sources said.
"It is a village in the border area, so the virus infection might have come from the neighbouring country," said a control room official.
Earlier, the spread of the deadly virus was limited to poultry in the farms of the country, not free-ranged poultry.
Our Gaibandha correspondent reports: 955 chickens were culled at Chanda Poultry Farm in Baro Durgapur of Sadar upazila after bird flu was detected there, the first in the district. The joint forces cordoned the whole area off during the culling of the chickens.
The district administration sources said five chickens from one Fakrul Islam's farm died Monday night. The district livestock department officials sent the dead chickens to their head office in Dhaka where the carcasses tested bird-flu positive.
The police urged all farm owners in the area to be cautious. The district administration sources said all free-ranged poultry within one kilometre radius of the infected farm would be culled. The administration sealed off the bird flu infected farm.

April 12th 2007

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/12/d70412070186.htm

Encephalitis kills 6 in Kushtia
Over 50 being treated at Sadar Hospital
Our Correspondent, Kushtia

Six people died from encephalitis disease at Kushtia General Hospital in last three days.

This has created panic among people as the number of patients are increasing everyday.

Doctors at the hospital said that more than 50 people attacked with the disease are being treated at the hospital.

Of them, 12 were admitted yesterday. The numbers of patients are increasing day by day.

Sources at the hospital and Civil Surgeon's office said the disease first broke out in Khajanagar and Kaburhat villages in Sadar upazila about a week ago.

Those attacked with the disease were aged between 12 and 60.

According to Kushtia General Hospital doctors, initially the victims died for lack of proper treatment as the disease could not be unidentified.

The symptom of the disease is high fever. At one stage the patient loses sense, doctors said.

The doctors said the disease is caused by a virus. The patients should be kept quarantined during treatment.

Most of the patients were treated for fever by local doctors, mostly quacks, which was wrong, they said.

Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Taher with a team specialist doctors from Kushtia General Hospital visited the areas.

The six people who died of the disease are Hazera Khatun, 45, Mina Khatun 30, Asia, 27, Abdus Salam, Jahangir Alam and Tofazzol Hossain.
Civil surgeon Dr. Abu Taher told to local newsmen that he has already informed about the disease to his higher authority.

A specialist doctors team might have visited to Kushtia, civil surgeon said.

April 18th 2007

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:qvUVGh_LC_IJ:www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/18/d70418062090.htm+disease+2007/04&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16

People can eat chicken, eggs after safety measures
Says health adviser
Staff Correspondent

Health and Family Welfare Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Dr ASM Matiur Rahman said people should continue having chicken and eggs by taking proper safety measures despite the outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu).

He was speaking as the chief guest at a seminar on Avian Influenza Virus at the NIPSOM (National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine) auditorium at Mohakhali in the city yesterday.

"It is safe to eat cooked chicken, thoroughly boiled eggs and eggs that have been fried on both sides, as long as they are cooked at 70?C temperature since Avian Influenza virus dies at this temperature", said the adviser.

"The outbreak of the virus in the neighboring countries and the yearly visit by the migratory birds in huge numbers had already increased the possibility of a bird flu outbreak in the country but the government has taken all necessary steps to prevent the outbreak" he added.

He acknowledged the role played by the mass media and said "The mass media has made people alert and reduced their anxiety by providing accurate information."

He said the government, mass media and the welfare organisations have to work together sincerely to stamp out the disease before it gets serious.

The seminar was also addressed by Director General of Department of Health Dr Md Shajahan Bishwas, Director of NIPSON Prof Md Jafar Ullah Chowdhury and the founder director of the institution Prof Kafil Uddin.

Still, April 18th 2007

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:_-hgkOuEFLoJ:www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/18/d70418060984.htm+disease+2007/04&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17

'Bird flu spreads for lack of proper preventive measures'
Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh Bird Flu Protirodh Nagarik Committee, a citizen platform for creating awareness about bird flu, yesterday said Avian Influenza virus popularly known as bird flu spread out in 32 farms in eight districts because proper preventive measures were not taken from the first affected poultry farm in Savar.

Leaders of the committee alleged that the government and Biman Poultry Farm, the first affected farm by Avian Influenza, did not cull all chickens at the infected zone.

They also said the government and the poultry farm owners should take the preventive measures prepared by National Avian Influenza and Human Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan 2006-2008.

"Our 25 lakh people depend on poultry farm business. The government and poultry farm owners will have to strictly follow the preventive measures for safeguarding the most growing business and the people from the attack of Avian Influenza," said Prof Ahmed Kamal, acting convener of the committee, yesterday while addressing a roundtable.

The committee organised the roundtable on 'Preventive Measures to Save Bangladesh from the attack of Avian Influenza' at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He also said regular surveillance is urgently needed and sufficient number of chickens from all places across the country should be tested to check the disease from epidemic.

Blaming the carelessness of the farm owners and the government, he said ignorance about Avian Influenza is the main cause of spread in Dhaka, Gazipur, Jamalpur, Narayanganj, Gaibandha, Jessore, Tangail and Noakhali.

Engineer M Inamul Haque, former director general of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board, said the government should investigate how the virus of Avian Influenza has entered the country.

He suggested setting up modern laboratory to check the chicken properly.
Dr Rafiqul Hasan said human being might be affected by Avian Influenza if people are aware of it.

Mass awareness programmes should be launched across the country for safeguarding people and poultry business, he added.

Among others the committee leaders Abul Hasan Rubel and Ziaur Rahman also addressed.

**Treyfish** · April 23, 2007, 04:38 PM

Re: Undiagnosed deaths in Bangladesh

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, ENCEPHALITIS - BANGLADESH (KUSHTIA) (02): NIPAH,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Date: 23 Apr 2007

ProMED-mail has learned from a reliable source that Nipah virus has
been identified as the etiology of the unidentified encephalitis
outbreak in Kushtia Bangladesh (see Undiagnosed deaths, encephalitis
- Bangladesh (Kushtia): RFI 20070412.1221).

[Since 2001, there have been reports of encephalitis outbreaks due to
Nipah virus/henipavirus in Bangladesh (see prior ProMED-mail postings
listed below). There was an outbreak in Tangail in 2005, outbreaks in
Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Jaipurhat (Joypurat) and Golpagonj in
2004, an outbreak in Naogang in 2003 and the 1st reported outbreak in
Meherpur in 2001 (for a good description of the 1st 2 outbreaks in
2001 and 2003, see the ICDDR,B report Outbreaks of Encephalitis Due
to Nipah/Hendra-like Viruses, Western Bangladesh available at
<http://www.icddrb.org/pub/publication.jsp?classificationID=56&pubID=4673>).

All areas affected have been in the western portion of the country
(see map of Bangladesh available at:
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/bangladesh_pol96.jpg>.

Prior outbreaks have been associated with ingestion of fruit
contaminated by fruit bats, known to be carriers of the
Nipah/henipavirus (see ref. 1 below). Person to person transmission
of close contacts has also been postulated in a published study of a
prior outbreak (see ref. 2 below).

ProMED-mail would appreciate more information on the epidemiology of
the current outbreak in Bangladesh and further follow-up as to
whether there have been cases identified in neighboring district(s)
in India (in ProMED-mail posting Undiagnosed deaths - Bangladesh,
India: RFI 20070420.1300, there was mention of possible cases in
neighboring district(s) in India).

1. Luby SP, Rahman M, Hossain MJ, Blum LS, Husain MM, Gurley E, et
al. Foodborne transmission of Nipah virus, Bangladesh. Emerg Infect
Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Dec [date cited]. Available from
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no12/06-0732.htm>.

2. Hsu VP, Hossain MJ, Parashar UD, Ali MM, Ksiazek TG, Kuzmin I, et
al. Nipah virus encephalitis reemergence, Bangladesh. Emerg Infect
Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2004 Dec [date cited]. Available from
<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no12/04-0701.htm>.
- Mod.MPP]

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Undiagnosed deaths in Bangladesh

Undiagnosed deaths in Bangladesh

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