Commentary
Mystery Fatal Disease In Bangladesh Linked to Poultry?
Recombinomics Commentary 22:50
July 7, 2008
An unknown disease has claimed lives of two children in last one week at Barakpur union under Digholia upazila in Khulna district while 44 children are now under treatment at Upazila Health Complex.
The two deceased were identified as six-year-old Faisal Kabir, son of Israil Sheikh, and eight-year-old Masuma, daughter of Junmun Sheikh of Nikaripara village under the same upazila.
Faisal died on the night of June 29 and Masuma died on the evening of July 2 while undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital.
Digholia Upazila Health Officer Ataur Rahman said the disease is suspected as 'viral encephalitis' and it has created panic among the people of the upazila.
People of the affected area had been advised not to eat any kind of meat, especially fowl, she said.
The above comments describe a mystery disease in Bangladesh. Although the diagnosis of viral encephalitis would include a variety of viral etiologies, the advice to avoid eating fowl raises H5N1 concerns.
Bangladesh recently acknowledged that H5N1 is transported and transmitted by migratory birds, which are attracted to Bangladesh in part due to the Ganges Delta. In the recent outbreak earlier this year, there was one confirmed H5N1 case in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
However, the size of the outbreak in Bangladesh and neighboring West Bengal raised concerns that the number of H5N1 cases in both countries was markedly higher than the one confirmed case.
H5N1 has a neurological tropism in humans and birds. More information on the hospitalized cases would be useful.
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