IEDCR
18 dengue patients undergoing treatment at Dhaka hospitals: DGHS
Eighteen dengue patients are receiving treatment at different hospitals in Dhaka until Thursday morning as the number of the mosquito- borne disease started to rise in the country.
Five new cases of dengue have been reported in the past 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a media release.
Read: How to protect yourself and your family from Dengue fever
A total of 129 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and of them, 111, patients recovered.
Health authorities reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020..
Reports of six dengue-related deaths have been sent to the IEDCR, which has so far reviewed four cases.
According to official figures, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.
Read: Dengue: Bangladesh sees significant improvement
Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000 and it claimed 93 lives. In three years, the fatality number almost fell to zero.
However, the mosquito-borne viral infection struck again in 2018, killing 26, and infecting 10,148 people.
Bangladesh ill-equipped to cope with Delta variant of Covid: Experts
As the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 has made its way into Dhaka and other districts from frontier ones, experts fear an impending health catastrophe in the coming weeks since there is no strict measure in place to stop it.
They said half-hearted preventive measures, lack of seriousness of local administrations, reopening of intra-district transport services and people’s apathy to maintain health safety guidelines are the major reasons behind the worsening Covid situation in the country.
The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research has recently found 80 percent of a randomly selected sample of 50 Covid patients infected with the Delta variant.
It also said the deadly variant has spread to parts of central Bangladesh, including the capital, while seven workers of Ashrayan Project in Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka have been detected with the same virus strain.
The sudden spike in virus cases has put a severe strain on four major hospitals ---Rajshahi Medical College, Khulna Medical College, Chapainawabganj and Kushtia General Hospital--with increasing patients from 11 nearby districts.
Also read: IEDCR study of 50 samples finds 40 are Delta
Experts said the government should immediately increase the number of beds, doctors and nurses and treatment facilities, in these hospitals to cope with the pressure of Covid patients.
The virus infection has been showing an upward trend in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Kushtia, Jashore, Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Natore, Noakhali and Cox's Bazar districts for several days.
IEDCR study of 50 samples finds 40 are Delta
Delta, the Coronavirus variant first found in India, turned out to be 80% of some 50 genomes sequenced in Bangladesh since May 16 by IEDCR. There is also evidence of community transmission of the variant, according to research jointly carried out by IEDCR and IDSHI.
The study also identified one "unknown variant" and found 8 of the samples (16%) to be infected with the South African variant.
IEDCR and IDSHI collected and analysed 50 samples from across the country, including border districts and the capital since May 16.
The research also found 40 out of the total 50 cases as Delta variant, known as Indian variant, in samples collected from Chapainawabganj, Gopalganj, Khulna, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Bagerhat, Jhenaidah and Pirojpur.
Also read: Indian Variant: The New Concern
Also, among the 40 patients, eight were tested positive after returning from India while 18 others came in contact with overseas returnees although they did not travel abroad.
Meanwhile, among the samples collected, 14 infected people neither went abroad nor came in contact with people with travel history. So, it is clear that the Indian variant is being transmitted at the community level inside the country, the research said.
On May 8, the Indian variant was detected in Bangladesh for the first time. All of the infected people returned from the neighbouring country.
The "highly contagious" Indian Delta variant was first detected in October last year. The World Health Organization labelled it a "variant of concern."
Also read: 8 Indian variant cases identified in Jashore
Magura runs out of Covid jabs, suspends vaccination
The Covid-19 inoculation drive has been temporarily halted in Magura district due to vaccine shortage, health officials have said.
District Civil Surgeon Dr Shahidulkalah Dewan told UNB on Tuesday that the vaccination drive was stopped on Sunday after the district ran out of Covid jabs.
Read: 3 India returnees test positive for Covid in Magura
"We have exhausted all the 78,250 vials of the Covid-19 vaccine given to us by the government. The inoculation drive will resume once we receive more doses of the vaccine," he said.
However, the Civil Surgeon could not give a definite timeline for the resumption of the Covid vaccination drive in the district.
According to the Civil Surgeon's Office, some 79,905 people have registered for vaccination in the district. Six session sites have been earmarked for the inoculation drive, including Magura Sadar Hospital, Sreepur, Mohammadpur and Shalikha Upazila Health Complex.
As of May 30, some 48,445 got the first dose of the vaccine in the district. On the other hand, as many as 28,596 people have taken the second dose of the vaccine so far.
Read: 50 India returnees put in quarantine in Magura
Some 1,655 people are now uncertain about getting the second dose of the vaccine.
Tapas Biswas, 54, of Beryl village, said, "On Monday, I received an SMS on my mobile phone stating the vaccination date. But when I went to the hospital on Tuesday, I was told that there were no jabs left."
Zillur Rahman, a medical officer at the Civil Surgeon's Office, said that the government's Institute of Pathology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) had taken blood samples from 350 people for a study.
"For them, 35 vials of the vaccine have been kept. Blood samples collected from them will be kept for up to two years and their antibodies will be tested," he said.
Read: People in Magura lose hope over district medical services
In Magura, samples of some 7,882 people were collected till Sunday and sent to the laboratory for testing. Of them, 1,254 people tested positive for Covid-19.
While 1,230 have recovered to date, some 24 people have succumbed to the virus since the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic. The fatality rate though is 1.91, health officials said.
Covishield shows encouraging immune response in small Bangladesh study
The Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine produced a strong immune response among vaccine recipients enrolled in a study by scientists at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB) and the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
Both the institutions said their findings were 'encouraging', raising hopes of strong protection for the age groups most at risk from the virus.
The vaccine recipients were aged between 40-73 years and from Dhaka city, with or without a history of Covid-19.
The ICDDRB and IEDCR scientists measured the levels of Covid-19 IgG antibodies in the blood of 120 participants before vaccination and then at one and two months after receiving their first dose of the vaccine through the government's vaccination campaign
It was found that one month after vaccination, 92% of people who received the first dose of the vaccine have at least a high immune response, while 97% of them have an even higher immune response two months after the first dose of vaccination.
The cut-off for a positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response to the spike protein of Covid-19 was set at 500 ng/ml using 355 serum samples collected before the onset of the pandemic.
Forty-six participants – with an average of 48 years of age and previous RT-PCR test confirmed Covid-19 infection history between April 2020 and January 2021 – were included in the analysis.
Participants who had a previous Covid-19 infection – one month or earlier before vaccination – showed a more robust response after receiving the first dose of the vaccine.
Fourfold higher antibody response was seen among these participants at two months after receiving the first dose of the vaccine.
Also read: Icddr,b studies effects of asymptomatic COVID-19 in heart patients
Expert view: Too small to be conclusive
The task of a Covid-19 vaccine dose is to prepare the body to fight back against the virus "no matter how old someone is."
Dr Firdausi Qadri, a senior scientist at ICDDRB, said: "We now know that the Covishield vaccine triggers a robust immune response in Bangladeshi adults which is a piece of great news. However, we will continue working on evaluating the neutralising ability of the antibody and the T and B cell responses. We will also continue assessing the effectiveness of the vaccine in our setting."
Professor Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR, said: "Our analysis confirmed that the vaccine works and people should get it when their turn comes. However, everyone should continue wearing a face mask and maintain physical distancing along with personal hand hygiene."
However, former IEDCR director Dr AM Zakir Hussain said, "To ensure the validity of study findings, certain methodological aspects need to be stressed."
"The second issue is, the findings on antibody in itself does not mean protection unless it is shown to have neutralised the virus. The study is yet to explore this aspect," Dr Zakir added. "Even the Oxford University researchers in at least three surveys did not find the protection level to be more than 80% under any circumstances. This survey included 13% of those who already developed an antibody from their infection before their vaccination. They cannot in anyways be included as samples for this study."
"The actual sample size is way below a requisite sample size to afford validity to the findings. IEDCR and ICDDRB in the past also revealed some study findings only to create commotion. I believe this study finding will also have to do a lot of explaining as too many questions will be raised again," the former IEDCR director added.
ICDDRB and IEDCR have started a large-scale study at 12 sites in eight divisions across Bangladesh that will involve about 6,300 participants who will complete their full course of vaccination.
Participants will be followed up for two years in a longitudinal design for assessing antibody responses after vaccination to determine the longevity of antibody response.
Also read: Ivermectin shows promise against Covid-19: icddr’b
The Oxford University- AstraZeneca vaccine has been licensed for manufacturing under the brand Covishield by India's Serum Institute.
Bangladesh detects first case of Indian Coronavirus strain
A confirmed case of Indian Coronavirus strain has been detected in Bangladesh, says the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research(IEDCR).
"The Indian variant of Coronavirus was detected in a sample test at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. It has been published on Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data(GSID)," said chief scientific officer of IEDCR ASM Alamgir.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) DG Dr ABM Khurshid Alam also told the media that the Indian variant of Coronavirus has been found in Bangladesh.
The infected patients returned from India. They had been there for treatment, and now they’re staying in Jeshore,” he added.
Professor Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the institution, also confirmed the development at a press conference in the afternoon.
She said, “Jessore University of Science and Technology and IEDCR conducted separate examinations on the samples of 8 persons in Jessore. The Indian variant was found in 2 of them by both the institutions.”
Also read: Border with India to remain shut for another 14 days
“ Besides, 4 other samples tested there were found very similar to that of the Indian strain,” she added.
Besides, the DGHS said 60 of India returnees, who are now there in institutional quarantine, came here after getting infected there. But it is not sure yet whether they were infected with the Indian variant, it said. The Genome Centre of Jessore University of Science and Technology also confirmed the findings through a press release today.
According to the press release, three among 16 Indian returnees tested positive for Covid-19 recently after entering Bangladesh.
Their samples were collected from Jessore General Hospital and sent to the university lab on May 6.
A research team, led by the Assistant Director of the Genome Centre Dr Md Iqbal Kabir identified the Indian Covid variant in two of the collected samples through sequencing.
Earlier, on May 3, the DGHS said the government would be confirmed within a few days whether the highly contagious Indian variant of coronavirus has already reached Bangladesh as an investigation was on in this regard.
Also read: Indian Covid Strain: Two more cases identified in Jessore
Speaking at a virtual press briefing, DGHS spokesperson Dr Nazmul Islam, said, "We may be able to say it in a few days whether the Indian strain of Covid-19 has come to Bangladesh or not."
He said the samples of those who tested positive for coronavirus after entering Bangladesh from India are being collected.
“These samples are being sent for genome sequencing…we’ll share it with you immediately after receiving the report.”
India is experiencing a horrific Covid situation as its crematoriums and burial grounds are being overwhelmed by the devastating new surge of infections tearing through the populous country with terrifying speed, depleting the supply of life-saving oxygen to critical levels and leaving patients to die while waiting in line to see doctors, reports AP from New Delhi.
India recorded over 4 lakh new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Saturday, taking the country’s total caseload to over 2.18 crore. Out of these, over 37 lakh cases are currently active while over 1.79 crore people have recovered.
With 4,187 new deaths, the toll now stands at over 2.38 lakh. At least 14 states are reporting cases in five figures.
Also read: India's surge hits southern states, prompts more lockdowns
Maharashtra reported about 54,000 cases, Karnataka had nearly 49,000, while Kerala had over 38,000.
On April 26, Bangladesh closed its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargoes for the next 14 day to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
The Indian variant of Covid-19 viruses mutate all the time, producing different versions of themselves. Most of these mutations are insignificant - and some may even make the virus less dangerous - but others can make it more contagious and harder to vaccinate against.
The original India variant - officially known as B.1.617 - was first detected in October, reports the BBC.
That version has now been re-characterised as three different subtypes, all with slightly different genetic mutations.
India has said a new variant of the coronavirus first discovered there in March may be linked to a deadly second wave, according to another BBC report.
Samples containing the "double mutant"- or B.1.617 variant - have been found in several states with high case numbers.
An official at the National Centre for Disease Control said, however, that they had still been unable to fully establish a correlation.
A double mutant is when two mutations come together in the same virus.
Tackling Covid-19: Ambassador Miller lauds epidemiologists, public health experts
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller on Wednesday praised the epidemiologists and public health experts who continue to serve as Bangladesh’s frontline of defense to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has taught us many things. One of those things is policy and actions are only as effective as the science and data they are built upon,” he said.
Miller said they can promote mask wearing and social distancing because they know the science and data tells them it works.
“We can promote vaccination because the data from the vaccine trials and post vaccination surveillance tells us the vaccines are safe and effective. None of this is possible without epidemiologists and public health experts,” he said.
The US Ambassador inaugurated the first “Bangladesh Congress on Epidemiology and Public Health” and the two-day conference (Wednesday-Thursday) includes in-person and online sessions sharing experiences and scientific lessons from Bangladesh about COVID-19; establishing a global network of public health experts to apply COVID-19 lessons to prepare for future pandemics and outbreaks; and building support for expanding the number of epidemiologists and public health experts in Bangladesh.
Also read: Will work together with Bangladesh, global partners against Covid-19 pandemic: Miller
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), and the Epidemiology Association of Bangladesh to sponsor this first-ever national conference focused on the vital roles field epidemiology and public health play in saving lives and keeping people healthy from serious diseases in Bangladesh and across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lack of entomologists hurting city corporations in fight against mosquito menace
The city corporations of the country do not have an entomologist on their payroll yet, although their research is crucial for controlling the mosquito population.
Special Team arrives in Sylhet to test Corona-affected UK returnees
A special team from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) on Tuesday noon arrived in Sylhet to test twenty-nine UK returnee expatriates who tested positive for coronavirus.
13 dengue cases recorded in 24 hrs
Bangladesh is seeing a gradual rise in dengue cases with the health authorities confirming 13 new cases in 24 hours until Thursday morning.