This year a total of eight people contracted Nipah virus and of them, five died, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said.
He made the disclosure in a briefing on Nipah virus outbreak at his Secretariat office in capital Dhaka on Sunday.
"Eight patients came to us and out of them, five died," he said, adding, "More than 70 percent of those infected with the virus die."
Zahid Maleque said drinking raw juice and consuming fruit eaten by birds, especially taking raw date juice drunk by bats, cause Nipah virus.
The virus spreads even when healthy people come in contact with infected ones and then, it spreads fast and it is concerning, he added.
Read More: Raw date juice unsafe, may create disaster: IEDCR
Stating that the government has taken measures to prevent the spread of the pathogen, the health minister said first people will be awarned and for this, TVC (television commercial, a form of advertising) has been created.
"We gave it (TVC) in newspapers today. Besides, arrangements have been made for treatment in separate hospitals," he said, adding, "We created a special unit at Infectious Diseases Hospital."
Mentioning that Nipah virus has no vaccine and medicine, he said, "Symptomatic treatment is given, the way we have been giving treatment of corona."
The minister also said people should not drink raw date juice and consume fruits eaten by birds and animals.
RMM/SU