A university professor has died in Chattogram after contracting a rare mosquito-borne disease, suspected by physicians to be Japanese Encephalitis.
Dr Zakia Sultana Juthi, a professor at the Faculty of Food Science and Technology of Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), passed away early Thursday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the port city.
According to family and medical sources, Juthi fell ill on 4 May with symptoms including fever, severe headache, and vomiting. She was initially admitted to Metropolitan Hospital, where her condition rapidly deteriorated.
Dr Kawsarul Alam of Metropolitan Hospital said the patient suffered “multiple strokes” within hours of admission, eventually requiring life support.
As her condition worsened, she was transferred to Evercare Hospital for advanced treatment. However, she passed away within 24 hours of her arrival. Evercare authorities noted that the patient was clinically “brain dead” by the time she reached their facility.
Based on her symptoms and clinical presentation, doctors strongly suspect she was suffering from Japanese Encephalitis. This virus is transmitted through the Culex species of mosquito and can cause severe infections in the human brain and nervous system.
Juthi was a student of the 2007-08 academic session at Bangladesh Agricultural University. She attained her PhD from Hiroshima University and completed her post-doctorate at Kyushu University in Japan.
She had been promoted to the position of professor at CVASU at the beginning of this year.
