Indian health authorities are stepping up containment efforts following a fresh outbreak of the Nipah virus, after five confirmed cases of the highly dangerous and incurable infection were reported in West Bengal, near the state capital Kolkata.
According to the Press Trust of India, three new infections were confirmed this week, involving a doctor, a nurse, and another health worker. Earlier, two nurses — one male and one female — had tested positive after working at Narayana Multispeciality Hospital in Barasat, located about 15 miles north of Kolkata.
West Bengal’s principal secretary for health and family welfare, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, said one of the nurses is in critical condition and currently in a coma after developing a high fever and severe respiratory complications between New Year’s Eve and January 2.
Authorities believe the nurse may have contracted the virus while treating a patient who suffered serious respiratory symptoms and later died before testing could be carried out.
In response, surveillance and containment measures have intensified. Officials confirmed that around 180 people have been tested, while 20 high-risk contacts have been placed under quarantine as efforts continue to prevent further spread.
Nipah is a bat-borne virus that can be transmitted from animals to humans and, in some cases, from person to person. Fruit bats, its natural host, are widely present across India, increasing concerns about potential transmission.
In humans, infections can range from mild or symptom-free cases to severe disease. Symptoms often include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, but in serious cases, the virus can cause acute respiratory illness and brain inflammation known as encephalitis. This can lead to coma within 24 to 48 hours.
Health experts warn that Nipah carries a fatality rate of 40 to 75 per cent, and there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also listed Nipah as a priority pathogen because of its ability to spark a major epidemic.
India has recorded Nipah infections for more than two decades, with recurring outbreaks particularly in the southern state of Kerala, where dozens of people have died since 2018.
Experts say the risk of infection can be reduced by avoiding contact with bats and pigs, and by not consuming raw date palm sap, which may be contaminated by bats.
