The government has asked the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) COVID-19 dedicated hospital to keep its beds ready in the wake of the spread of the Nipah virus in 28 districts of the country.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recently issued a letter asking the hospital authorities to prepare 10 beds in the isolation ward and 10 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds.
According to the DGHS letter signed by its director (hospitals and clinics), Dr Sheikh Daud Adnan, the Nipah virus infection has already spread to 28 districts in the country.
On January 29, the health and family welfare minister Zahid Maleque said a total of five people died of the virus across the country in January this year.
He added that eight people were infected with the deadly virus in the country at the same time. The health minister said Nipah virus-infected people can transmit the disease, which is concerning.
Urging people not to drink raw date juice, he said people should also avoid eating fruits that have been eaten in half by birds or bats.
The minister stated that the government has increased its public awareness campaign about Nipah virus transmission and that a special unit with ICU services has been prepared at the capital's Infectious Disease Hospital in Mohakhali to treat virus-infected patients.