Common diseases and the Nipah virus are more common in the winter season. As soon as winter comes, the competition to smell and taste date palm juice begins! At this time, many people take down the pitcher of dates from the tree and eat the raw juice directly. Many people also boil palm juice in the oven to make syrup, pies, or milk.
Apart from this, Jhola gur, Patali, Nalen gur, Veli gur, Balua gur, Michhari gur, etc., made from date juice, are very famous.
According to the Agricultural Information Service, date palm juice is usually collected in Bangladesh from Kartik to Magh month, i.e., from October to March. Most of the juice is collected in Jessore, Kushtia, and Faridpur.
However, the fear of spreading Nipah virus by consuming date juice is in everyone's mind. The Nipah virus scare has been raised over the consumption of date palm juice for more than a decade.
According to the World Health Organization, Nipah virus is a type of 'zoonotic virus', which is transmitted from animals to humans. Later, it spreads to others.
Nipah virus causes severe brain inflammation. The patient suffers from fever and mental restlessness. Seizures may occur at some point.
Gachiris hang a pot on the tree overnight to collect the sap, where nocturnal creatures, such as bats, come to drink the juice at night. When bats feed on palm juice, the saliva released from their mouths and even their excrement gets mixed with the date palm juice.
Nipah virus can be directly transmitted to humans by consuming this contaminated juice raw. As a result, fever, headache, weakness, shortness of breath, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and various physical complications occur, which can lead to death.
There is still no vaccine or effective treatment to prevent Nipah virus infection. Due to this, special precautions are required when consuming date juice.
First of all, attention should be paid to cleanliness during the collection and storage of juice. Try to cover and distribute juice quickly. According to the research report of the World Health Organization, the main way to get rid of this virus is to use a protective cover or sap skirt at the place where the sap is collected from the trees, so that bats cannot come into contact with it.
A sap skirt is a fence made of bamboo, wood, dhincha, jute straw, or polythene, which is tied to a tree and covered from the head of the spout to the mouth of the pitcher.
However, ICDDR researchers have observed through hidden cameras that bats still urinate along the mouth of the pitcher, even when the juice bowl is covered with a mesh or sap skirt. As a result, the risk of contracting Nipah virus remains.
So, avoid drinking raw date juice. Boil the juice and drink it to save your life. In this case, the advice of experts is that after collecting the juice, it should be heated to 70-80 degrees Celsius. Only then will the virus die.
It is important to ensure that date palm juice has been collected with such regularity and cleanliness. Therefore, collect the juice from a trusted source.
The fear of spreading Nipah virus by consuming date juice is in
everyone’s mind. The Nipah virus scare has been raised over the
consumption of date palm juice for more than a decade.
When the Nipah virus was first identified in patients in Malaysia and Singapore, all were working in pig farms. At that time, healthy people got sick from sick pigs. Nipah virus was first spread in Bangladesh by drinking raw date juice. In India this year, the disease spread from mangoes eaten by bats. In Bangladesh, almost every year, the Nipah virus is heard more or less. However, Nipah virus was largely out of the discussion this year. But since the last few days, due to the resurgence of the disease in the southern state of Kerala, the alert has again been issued almost everywhere in India. As a result, experts have to think about this disease anew.
The virus spread in 2003-2005. According to a survey by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research published in 2013, the disease was detected in 13 districts of the country. These districts include Gaibandha, Jhenaidah, Kurigram, Kushtia, Magura, Manikganj, Mymensingh, Naoga, Natore, Nilphamari, Pabna, Rajbari, and Rajshahi. People aged 8 months to 60 years were affected in these districts. However, apart from these districts, this disease is also known to spread to some other districts. Like Bangladesh, Nipah virus patients were first identified in India in 2001. At that time, a total of 65 people were infected in Siliguri city from January to February, and 45 people died. Six years later, in 2007, five patients were found in Nadia, all of whom died.
Generally, this disease is spread through the saliva, excreta, breathing, and contact of bats. The virus breeds in raw palm sap when bats drink sap from pots tied to palm trees. Later, people can become infected with the Nipah virus by drinking this juice. Again, the virus can cause disease from infected people to healthy people. Nipah virus does not show any disease symptoms in bats, but when the virus enters the human body or other intermediate vectors, including pigs, various disease symptoms appear within 7-14 days.
Symptoms of Nipah Virus Infection: Influenza or cold-like symptoms, such as fever; Sore throat, headache; Vomiting and muscle aches; Mild to severe inflammation of the respiratory tract, which can lead to severe breathing problems; Inflammation of the brain cells and the brain, leading to tremors, dizziness, incoherent speech, and various neurological symptoms
Prevention: The best way to avoid any disease is to follow proper immunity-building practices. Ways to prevent this disease include: If infected with the Nipah virus, the general public should follow all the rules: Stay away from the infected person. Even during burial, bathing, cremation, and visiting the deceased, proper precautions must be taken. Wear a good quality mask. Wash hands regularly with soap. Avoid eating partially eaten fruits. Do not drink fruit juice without pasteurization. Do not go near animals without taking proper precautions. Date juice should be boiled well before drinking. There is no problem in boiling the juice and eating the jaggery made from date juice. Maintain personal hygiene for yourself and your children. Household essentials should be properly covered.
Homeopathy: Homeopathy is a symptomatic medical science. There is no specific medicine for any disease in this medical field. Especially for viral diseases that affect our country, homeopathy offers proper treatment. An experienced doctor is required to select the symptoms and provide miasmatic treatment to the patient. If treated correctly, the disease can be completely cured.
The Nipah virus remains a significant public health threat in Bangladesh, especially with its connection to consuming raw date palm juice. While the virus is primarily spread by bats, the risks to human health are real and cannot be ignored. Awareness, caution, and proper hygiene practices are critical in preventing the spread of this deadly virus. Public education on the dangers of drinking raw date juice and the importance of boiling the juice before consumption is essential to reduce infection rates. As there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for Nipah virus, taking preventive measures and adhering to safety guidelines can save lives. It is crucial for both individuals and communities to stay vigilant, follow expert advice, and prioritize safety during the winter months when the consumption of date palm juice is most common. Let us all be aware and take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and others from the Nipah virus.
The writer is founder and chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society
