In a significant public health development on Republic Day 2026, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) confirmed two cases of Nipah Virus infection in healthcare-worker nurses at the same private hospital in Barasat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. The confirmation came following laboratory testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, after both nurses presented with high fever, headache, and respiratory distress symptoms.
The Centre deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT), with NCDC experts, to West Bengal to assist state health authorities in contact tracing, isolation protocols, and surveillance. A total of 196 contacts of the two confirmed patients were traced and placed under monitoring; all contacts tested negative for Nipah virus as of the reporting date, indicating that human-to-human transmission had been effectively contained.
MoHFW issued an official statement declaring timely containment of the outbreak, citing robust surveillance infrastructure established post-2018 Kerala Nipah outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the risk at moderate at the sub-national level, noting that while Nipah has a high case-fatality rate (40-75%), the current cluster appeared isolated with no evidence of wider community spread.
Nipah Virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus — transmitted from animals (fruit bats, pigs) to humans — and can cause severe encephalitis and acute respiratory illness. India has previously recorded Nipah outbreaks in Kerala (2018, 2019, 2023) and West Bengal (2001, 2007). There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah; supportive care remains the primary medical response.
The episode underscored the critical importance of India's Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and the One Health framework for early detection of zoonotic threats. The WHO encouraged continued vigilance and international information sharing under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).