Two suspected cases of Nipah virus have been detected at Barasat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, officials said on Monday. The condition of the two, a male nurse and a female nurse working in the same private hospital in Barasat, was said to be critical, and they have been kept on ventilation, officials said. They had gone home in East Midnapore and East Burdwan in December, and fell ill.
“Two suspected cases of Nipah virus have been reported. They both worked in the same hospital and are now admitted there. We have started contact tracing,” said Nandini Chakravorty, chief secretary of West Bengal.
A second official said their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation. “While the Union health ministry has been alerted, the state’s chief secretary and the state health secretary held meetings with the chief medical officers of North 24 Parganas, East Burdwan, and East Midnapore.”
Nipah virus is commonly found in fruit bats. Scientists do not conclusively know how the virus is transmitted from fruit bats to pigs, cattle, or even humans. There are indications that both humans and animals can get infected by coming in contact with the contaminated saliva and urine of fruit bats. The mortality rate for Nipah is 70%.
State health secretary NS Nigam said contact-tracing has been initiated in the districts where the two went, including North 24 Parganas. “Some people who came in contact with the two have been traced and have been asked to isolate themselves at home. We are monitoring the situation. We have sufficient capacity to test Nipah virus samples.”
In a post on X, the Union health ministry wrote that minister JP Nadda assures the West Bengal government of comprehensive technical, logistical, and operational support following the detection of suspected Nipah virus cases. It added immediate coordinated action has been initiated. “Shri Nadda spoke with Chief Minister Smt Mamata Banerjee, underscoring close Centre–State coordination. A National Joint Outbreak Response Team has been deployed and standard protocols shared to ensure effective containment.”
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