Silent carriers cause for alarm

Dilruba Begum began feeling unwell on April 20 night. When she told this to her family, they checked her blood pressure and found it to be normal.

The 60-year-old woman from the capital's Khilgaon area, who had diabetes and hypertension, at one stage, asked to be taken to a hospital.

"We could not manage an ambulance but we managed a car and rushed her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," said Zakir Hossain, her son.

"There, soon after an ECG was performed, she died," he said adding that the doctors informed the family that she died of a cardiac arrest.

Although Dilruba had no symptoms of Covid-19, due to her age the doctors suggested that a sample from her body be sent for coronavirus test.

"My mother tested positive. But she did not have any symptoms and she did not even go out of the house since the beginning of the shutdown," Zakir said.

Public health experts said this was a case of asymptomatic coronavirus. In such cases, it is impossible to know who around you may be a carrier of the disease. Since the highly contagious virus has spread to the community level, many infected people may not exhibit any symptoms, they said.

They also fear that the number of asymptomatic cases may be on the rise as coronavirus transmission is expanding further across the country.

So far, the coronavirus cases detected in the country have been symptomatic. The authorities were yet to find asymptomatic ones.

"There are asymptomatic cases and these are common across the world. When community transmission happens, this can occur," ASM Alamgir, principal scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told The Daily Star yesterday.

When asked whether they received any such case till now, he said, "I cannot say because we do not deal with the patients directly."

Nazmul Hasan, an assistant professor at Department of Internal Medicine of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said in any society there might be around 30 percent asymptomatic cases when there is community transmission.

"In asymptomatic cases, usually young people are the carriers but aged people, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, are at the risk of death," he said.

Nazmul, who is dealing with Covid-19 patients at BSMMU's fever unit, said in many cases, elderly people who are carriers may not show any symptoms and may die of cardiac arrest.

According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25 percent of the infected people might not have symptoms.

As of yesterday, 120 people died and 3,772 people were detected with coronavirus, according to Directorate General of Health Services.

But many experts believe that the number is much higher as the country has yet to ensure testing at a massive scale.

Dr Jahidur Rahman, virologist and assistant professor of Shahid Suhrawardy Medical College, said, "Around 40-50 percent of Covid-19 patients may be asymptomatic as various journals are saying. This is really alarming as asymptomatic coronavirus can spread fast and cause death."

He said that along with other reasons, this was also another big reason that Italy was badly hit by the virus.

"The sooner the people are tested, the better it will be for the society," he said.