IEDCR Urges Not to Drink Date Juice

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has urged people not to drink raw date juice as it has a high level possibility of getting infected by the Nipah virus.

IEDCR, country’s disease monitoring arm, also requested social and cultural organizations to refrain from arranging date juice related festivals, said a press release.  

Nipah is a deadly disease transmitted from bats to humans. Its main symptoms include fever, headache, itching, palpitation, unconsciousness and in some cases fatal breathing problems. It generally occurs in the winter season. 

The IEDCR has advised caution over drinking raw date juice as bats normally drink it from receptacles at night while it is being collected from the date-palm tree. 

As the disease can pass from human to human, the IEDCR has suggested taking precautions such as washing hands after coming in contact with an infected person.

Since 2001, the death rate of people infected by the Nipah virus in Bangladesh has been 70 percent, the press release added.  

Source: BSS