DHAKA, Jan 16: Bangladesh reported its first death related to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) on Thursday, involving a woman with multiple health issues.
The deceased, identified as Sanjida Akhter, passed away at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday in the Infectious Diseases Hospital of Dhaka, where she had been receiving care since Sunday.
Ariful Bashar, a senior consultant at the hospital, stated on Thursday that she suffered from several underlying ailments, including obesity, kidney problems, and complications affecting her lungs.
This fatality follows the recent report of Bangladesh’s first HMPV infection of the season, with the woman testing positive for the virus.
Ahmed Nowsher Alam, head of virology at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), noted that she also tested positive for Klebsiella Pneumoniae, a form of pneumonia.
He added that the patient had no history of travel abroad.
Earlier, Tahmina Shirin, the director of IEDCR, indicated that HMPV was first identified in Bangladesh in 2017, and it has been detected nearly every winter since then.
(UNI)
