For the first time in Bangladesh, a cluster of Zika virus infections has been detected. Scientists at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) identified five Zika-positive patients in a recent study conducted in Dhaka. Notably, none of these individuals had traveled abroad in the past two years. Among them, one patient was also diagnosed with dengue, marking the first recorded case of Zika-Dengue co-infection in the country.
On Monday, icddr,b shared these findings in an article published on its official website.
According to the report, in 2023, samples from 152 patients were tested. These individuals exhibited fever along with other viral symptoms. The research found that all five Zika-positive patients were residents of the same locality in Dhaka. The study stated, "The detection of Zika virus infection in five samples indicates the need for nationwide screening to determine the actual prevalence of the disease in Bangladesh."
Lead researcher Shafiul Alam confirmed that all five infected individuals reside in the Mohakhali area, within a one-kilometer radius. "For this reason, it is being classified as a Zika virus cluster," he explained.
It is worth noting that in 2016, a study conducted by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) found evidence of a Zika-positive case in Bangladesh from a patient sample collected in 2014.
Since that patient had no history of international travel, experts believe that Zika virus had already been present in Bangladesh before the 2015 outbreak in Brazil. According to icddr,b, the virus is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites but can also spread through sexual contact, blood transfusion, mother-to-child transmission, and physical contact.
