Porimol Palma

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has already completed trial of the Gonoshasthaya Kendra-developed antibody test and may submit its report to the drug administration by Wednesday.

Human trafficking to Libya from Bangladesh and torture of victims for ransom have been quite common for years but such crimes come to light only after a terrible tragedy.

Bangladesh has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging for measures to protect the rights of migrants being affected by the global coronavirus pandemic.

TDS: Do you think that Bangladesh may face a famine?

Medical experts have urged the government to undertake a national programme to expand the scope of convalescent plasma therapy for treating Covid-19 patients as the method has been gaining traction for its effectiveness.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday said the government demanded the Libyan authorities quickly investigate and punish those who killed 26 Bangladeshis and four Africans in a “revenge attack”.

Plasma therapy unit working to apply the life-saving treatment to novel coronavirus is seeking plasma from Covid-19 survivors as it sees high demand for the therapy amid rise in the infection every day.

Bangladesh is likely to lose its labour market almost entirely in Lebanon, which is home to some 1.6 lakh Bangladeshis, as the Middle Eastern country has been fraught with various economic and political adversities coupled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Amphan, the cyclone formed in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, may lash the coastal districts in three days, upending social distancing and hygiene practices needed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Bangladesh faces the challenge of massive job creation as several lakh migrant workers are likely to return in the coming months following a sharp decline in overseas jobs due to the coronavirus-induced global economic slowdown, experts said.

Bangladesh and India are likely to resume rail operations to transport essential commodities and medical supplies between the two countries.

Bangladesh wants labour-receiving countries to ensure that Bangladeshi migrants who lose their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic get at least six months’ salary.

In a dramatic development, the Directorate General of Drug Administration has allowed Gonoshasthaya Kendra to submit its home-grown rapid test kits for Covid-19 to BSMMU or icddr,b for validation.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has made it clear that they are not going to submit their rapid test kits to the drug administration through any contract research organisation (CRO).

Dhaka should actively engage Kuala Lumpur to make sure that the Bangladeshi migrants undergoing hardships in Malaysia amid coronavirus pandemic get food through a government distribution channel, said migrant rights activists in Malaysia.

At this critical time when people are advised to stay at home, health workers are oath-bound to be on the frontline away from their families most of the time.

Convalescent Plasma therapy, which can quickly develop passive immune system of a person against a virus and fight Covid-19, can help save lives from the curse of the novel coronavirus before any vaccine or medicine is developed, a noted hematologist has said.

The Covid-19 crisis has affected the entire world and hit the developing countries like Bangladesh even harder -- a fact that calls for greater global cooperation and solidarity.

The Singapore government has promised food, wages, and treatment costs of Bangladeshi migrant workers who are in isolation in the country’s dormitories.

Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia fear an imminent food crisis as the lockdown continues amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country.