The team was examining a patient suffering from Nipah virus at Faridpur Medical College Hospital. The intern physician contracted the virus while caring for three infected children in 2010 and unfortunately died from the disease. At the time, Zakiul was unaware of the virus’s potential for person-to-person transmission. While studying about the dead doctor, she surprisingly discovered that he was none other than her previously mentioned friend.
His friend’s unexpected death deeply affected Zakiul, further intensifying his commitment to infectious disease research. He said, “The news of my friend’s untimely death has further increased my commitment to this cause.”
In 2012, he began research on Nipah virus, with the aim of understanding its spread among patients and healthcare workers. The findings were presented at CDC’s Emerging Infections Conference in Atlanta, where Zakiul shared the poignant story of losing his friend to Nipah, evoking a strong emotional response from the audience.
The research project lasted three years, and the results were published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, a leading infectious disease journal published by the US CDC.
