The deadly drink: Nipah virus transmission through date palm sap, cultural practices and the evolution of behavioral interventions in Bangladesh over two decades.

Nipah virus (NiV) has emerged as a significant public health threat, with recurring outbreaks in Bangladesh often linked to the consumption of raw date palm sap contaminated by fruit bats (Pteropus species). Over the past two decades, substantial efforts have been made to understand the cultural context of sap consumption, promoting behavior change and developing interventions to prevent NiV spillover. Despite these efforts, achieving sustainable change in sap consumption practices remains challenging due to deep-seated cultural practices, community perceptions of sap consumption, habitual behaviors, limited awareness of health risks and economic barriers.

Leveraging the influenza sentinel surveillance platform for SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in Bangladesh (2020-2024): a prospective sentinel surveillance study.

Background: There is limited global evidence on whether influenza sentinel surveillance platforms can be effectively adapted for long-term SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in low-resource contexts. We explored the utility of the hospital-based influenza sentinel surveillance (HBIS) platform for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh by comparing SARS-CoV-2 detection in HBIS platform with national COVID-19 platform and assessing how its integration into influenza surveillance aligns with national trends.

Methods: From March 2020 to December 2024, we analysed data from patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) enrolled in HBIS.

Knowledge, attitude and practices of primary livestock raisers regarding anthrax and anthrax vaccination of livestock in outbreak and non-outbreak areas of Bangladesh.

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Outbreaks are periodically reported among people and livestock in Bangladesh. From 2009-2020, approximately 4000 suspected human cutaneous anthrax cases were reported.

Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Blood Pressure Control in Young Adults With a Family History of Hypertension.

Background: Hypertension is a primary reason for heart problems that lead to death or illness across the globe, and people with a family history are more prone to it. Stress is known to cause an increase in blood pressure, but the specific influence of stress perception on individuals in this high-risk group remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between perceived stress and blood pressure control in young adults with a family history of hypertension.

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genetic diversity of Nipah virus strains from Bangladesh: 2016-2023.

Objectives: Nipah virus (NiV) causes deadly outbreaks in Bangladesh, with a fatality rate of 71%. Two sublineages, NiV-BD 1 and NiV-BD 2, have been identified. This study aimed to characterize their epidemiologic and clinical diversity.

Curcumin delivery and release by using a dual cooperative encapsulation system constructed with ZIF-8 MOFs and silk fibroin/polycaprolactone nanofibers for accelerated wound healing.

The development and design of novel nanofibrous dressings (NFDs) with biomimetic structure and multifunctional properties through electrospinning technique have aroused significant interest in the disciplines of wound treatment. In this study, curcumin (Cur) was firstly incorporated into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), to generate Cur@ZIF-8 nanoparticles, which displayed a homogeneous, consistent, and nearly similar rhombic dodecahedral structure with the mean diameter of ~190 nm. Then the Cur@ZIF-8 was loaded into the silk fibroin (SF)/polycaprolactone (PCL) hybrid nanofibers to obtain a NFD through an electrospinning strategy.

A cost-benefit analysis of using wastewater monitoring to guide typhoid vaccine campaigns.

Introduction: Enteric diseases are a leading cause of mortality in developing countries, yet are highly preventable. Typhoid vaccines remain underutilized, and diagnostic capacity constraints impede treatment and prevention. Wastewater monitoring could provide a more accurate picture of disease burden if detection and quantification of Salmonella Typhi in wastewater are advanced.

Adolescent psychological health, temporal discounting, and climate distress under increased flood exposure in Bangladesh: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study.

Background: Chronic exposure to climate stress disproportionately affects low-income households; however, the psychological health and climate distress levels of climate-vulnerable adolescents in low-resource settings has rarely been explored. We investigated the association between increased flood exposure and adolescent psychological health, climate distress, and temporal discounting (long-term planning capacity).

Methods: In this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study, we administered surveys to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression, temporal discounting, and climate distress.

Associations between floor material and E. coli contamination in rural Bangladeshi households.

Background: Soil floors are common in low-income countries and can harbor contamination from fecal waste. Soil/dust ingestion from floors or indirectly via hands, water and food can contribute to children's ingestion of fecal organisms. We assessed if finished (e.

Who has sheds? Exploring practices and determinants of overnight housing for backyard poultry in rural Bangladesh to inform an intervention to limit exposure to poultry and poultry feces.

Backyard poultry-rearing contributes to income and food security for rural households in low- and middle-income countries. However, poultry are often kept inside the household dwelling at night, posing health risks to the people raising them. Housing poultry separately from the dwelling overnight is a potential intervention to limit exposure to poultry.

Flooding and elevated prenatal depression in rural Bangladesh: A mixed methods study.

Prenatal depression can have lasting adverse impacts on child health. Little is known about the impact of floods on prenatal depression in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 881 pregnant women from September 24, 2023 to July 19, 2024 in riverine communities in rural Bangladesh.

A systematic review of the pivotal role of environmental toxicant exposure on infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: The objective of this review is to identify which environmental toxicants are linked to infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by synthesizing available evidence. It aims to summarize key findings, identify research gaps and provide policy recommendations based on the associations between specific toxicants and disease outcomes.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Evaluation of a multicomponent child development intervention delivered through the government health system: a feasibility study.

Introduction: Small efficacy trials have demonstrated that multicomponent interventions can improve early child development. We evaluated the large-scale delivery of a multicomponent intervention delivered by government health workers throughout a rural subdistrict in northwestern Bangladesh.

Methods: We evaluated a group-based, multicomponent intervention with a curriculum covering responsive parenting, caregivers' mental health, lead exposure prevention strategies at the household level, water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition.

Associations between floor material and contamination in rural Bangladeshi households.

Soil floors are common in low-income countries and can harbor contamination from unsafely managed human and animal fecal waste. Soil/dust ingestion directly from floors or indirectly via hands, drinking water and food can significantly contribute to children's ingestion of fecal organisms. We assessed if finished (e.

A Hospital-Based Analytical Study on Antibiotic Utilization in Pediatric Patients and Antibiotic Stewardship.

Background: Antibiotics are prescribed frequently for children, and it has been discovered that nearly half of all antibiotics prescribed in pediatric healthcare settings are deemed inappropriate. This misuse of antibiotics leads to the rise of antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug reactions, increased morbidity, and higher hospitalization costs. If no global measures are implemented, it is estimated that antimicrobial resistance will cause 10 million deaths by 2050.

The reappearance of Chikungunya virus in Bangladesh, 2024.

Objectives: We investigated a new outbreak of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Dhaka and nearby areas of Bangladesh in 2024, examining its epidemiology, clinical features, and genomic characteristics.

Methods: The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research enrolled suspected Chikungunya cases from October 19 to December 31, 2024. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed, and positive cases were followed up via telephone between days 21 and 28.

Detection of Nipah Virus in Human Milk: A Novel Finding.

Nipah virus (NiV) causes severe diseases in humans with a high case fatality rate. The primary risk factors for NiV infection in Bangladesh are drinking raw date palm sap (DPS) contaminated with Pteropus fruit bat secretions/excretions or close contact with or exposure to the body fluid of an individual with NiV infection. During the 2023 NiV outbreak investigation in Bangladesh, the breast milk of a NiV-infected nursing mother was tested by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of NiV-RNA.

Heat impacts on health and productivity: the case of two ready-made garment factories in tropical Bangladesh.

Objective: The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is pivotal to Bangladesh's economy, providing export opportunities and employment. To ensure sustained productivity and a thriving workforce, workplace hazards like heat must be acknowledged, assessed and managed. This paper explores heat impacts on health and productivity of production-line workers in two RMG factories of Bangladesh.

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Elderly Patients With Diabetes Mellitus in a Rural Community of Bangladesh.

Background Among the elderly population of Bangladesh, diabetes mellitus (DM) is highly prevalent. DM has a strong relationship with musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders responsible for chronic pain, disability, and morbidity. Nevertheless, MSK disorder data of elderly diabetics are scarce in the literature, particularly in rural setups.

Assessing equity in effects of nutritional supplementation for child growth, development, and anemia.

Undernutrition in early childhood causes stunted growth, cognitive delays, and anemia, with effects often magnified among children from the poorest households. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) are effective in addressing undernutrition and improving child development. As momentum builds to scale up SQ-LNS for children aged 6-24 months in the Global South, a key concern is achieving equity in its distribution and outcomes.

Addressing influenza in Bangladesh: closing evidence and policy gaps with strategic interventions.

Since the establishment of the National Influenza Surveillance Program in 2007, Bangladesh has significantly progressed in monitoring influenza through national and international collaboration. However, this collaboration has not been translated into actionable control policies, which coupled with low vaccination coverage, impose a substantial health and economic burden in Bangladesh. Critical gaps remain in understanding the influenza burden among high-risk populations and the barriers influencing their vaccine uptake.

Differences in Cancer and All-Cause Mortality among Non-Hispanic Black American Adults by Nativity and Duration of Residence in the United States.

Background: Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Americans bear a high burden of cancer and all-cause mortality. Previous studies show that foreign-born individuals in the United States generally have lower cancer mortality rates, although it is more pronounced among NHBs. This study examined differences in cancer and all-cause mortality risk between US-born and foreign-born NHB adults and by the duration of US residence among foreign-born individuals.

Biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction and neurodevelopmental outcomes among children in rural Bangladesh and Kenya: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) may worsen undernutrition, with potential adverse effects on the developmental trajectories of millions of children in low-resource settings.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess associations between EED biomarkers and subsequent child development.

Methods: In a prospective cohort of 2646 children nested within 2 randomized trials in rural Bangladesh (n = 1374) and Kenya (n = 1272), EED was measured by markers of intestinal permeability (fecal alpha-1 antitrypsin; urinary lactulose and mannitol assessed through the dual sugar absorption test), inflammation (fecal myeloperoxidase and neopterin), and repair (fecal regenerating gene 1β).

The 2023 dengue fatality in Bangladesh: Spatial and demographic insights.

Objectives: In 2023, Bangladesh faced the largest dengue outbreak, resulting in 321,179 confirmed cases and 1705 fatalities. This study aims to characterize dengue fatalities and analyze their determinants and spatial influence.

Methods: Using data from the Management Information System of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, we characterized dengue mortality and conducted a linear regression analysis to determine the impact of age groups and gender on case fatality rate (CFR).