Nipah Virus identified in West Bengal after five cases confirmed
A rare bat-borne pathogen, Nipah virus, has been reported in the eastern state of West Bengal after confirming five cases, including infections among healthcare staff.
Mr Narayan Swaroop Nigam, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, West Bengal, told The Telegraph, “Two nurses at a private hospital are infected with Nipah virus, and one of them is in critical condition.”
The outbreak has prompted isolation across several regions.
Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a high-risk virus, with no specific treatment available and approved vaccine.
Human infections are often rare but only occur when the virus spills over from fruit bats, usually via contaminated food such as fruit or raw date palm sap.
So far 180 individuals have been tested and 20 vulnerable people are quarantined.
“All of them are asymptomatic and tested negative. We will again test them before their 21-day quarantine ends,” Mr Nigam added.
Nipah virus symptoms include the flu, including fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and fatigue.
Mortality rates have ranged from 40% to 75%, depending on the severity of illness. Survivors are likely to experience long-term neurological complications, and rare cases of relapse have been reported.
Initially discovered in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore.
Since then, several continents have seen repeated outbreaks across South Asia, including Bangladesh and India’s Kerala state.
With no accessibility of vaccines, health officials stress prevention, early detection and strict infection-control measures to limit further spread.
