Nipah virus infection outbreak with nosocomial and corpse-to-human transmission, Bangladesh.
Active Nipah virus encephalitis surveillance identified an encephalitis cluster and sporadic cases in Faridpur, Bangladesh, in January 2010. We identified 16 case-patients; 14 of these patients died. For 1 case-patient, the only known exposure was hugging a deceased patient with a probable case, while another case-patient's exposure involved preparing the same corpse for burial by removing oral secretions and anogenital excreta with a cloth and bare hands. Among 7 persons with confirmed sporadic cases, 6 died, including a physician who had physically examined encephalitis patients without gloves or a mask. Nipah virus-infected patients were more likely than community-based controls to report drinking raw date palm sap and to have had physical contact with an encephalitis patient (29% vs. 4%, matched odds ratio undefined). Efforts to prevent transmission should focus on reducing caregivers' exposure to infected patients' bodily secretions during care and traditional burial practices.
icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sazzad@icddrb.org
Hossain M S
HM
Sazzad
M Jahangir
MJ
Hossain
Emily S
ES
Gurley
Kazi M H
KM
Ameen
Shahana
S
Parveen
M Saiful
MS
Islam
Labib I
LI
Faruque
Goutam
G
Podder
Sultana S
SS
Banu
Michael K
MK
Lo
Pierre E
PE
Rollin
Paul A
PA
Rota
Peter
P
Daszak
Mahmudur
M
Rahman
Stephen P
SP
Luby
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D028023:Arecaceae; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001628:Beverages; D002048:Burial; D002102:Cadaver; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D045464:Henipavirus Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045405:Nipah Virus; D010820:Physicians; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult