RAS question
Regarding the Nipah virus outbreak in India in early 2026, consider the following statements: 1. Two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported from West Bengal. 2. Both patients were healthcare workers at a hospital in Barasat, North 24 Parganas. 3. Confirmation was done by the National Institute of Virology, Pune. 4. WHO assessed the overall risk as high. Which of the above statements are correct?
Correct answer: (A) 1, 2 and 3 only.
In the early 2026 Nipah virus outbreak in India, two laboratory-confirmed cases from Barasat in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, were healthcare workers confirmed by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, while WHO assessed the sub-national risk as moderate, not high.
Explanation
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct because WHO recorded two laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases in West Bengal, both among healthcare workers at the same private hospital in Barasat, North 24 Parganas district. The confirmation came from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, on 13 January 2026, matching the third statement. The outbreak picture also explains why statement 4 fails: WHO did not call the overall risk high. It assessed the public health risk as moderate at the sub-national level and low at the national, regional and global levels. The containment context supports that assessment: over 190 contacts were identified and tested, all were negative, and the National Centre for Disease Control reported that no further confirmed cases had been detected in West Bengal.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Option B includes statement 4, but WHO assessed the risk as moderate at the sub-national level and low beyond that, not high.
- (C) Option C omits statement 1 even though WHO reported two laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases from West Bengal.
- (D) Option D treats all four statements as correct, but statement 4 is false because the WHO risk assessment was not high.
Concept
This tests current-affairs-linked science and technology, especially outbreak surveillance, laboratory confirmation and official risk assessment. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because candidates must separate confirmed institutional facts from exaggerated or misreported outbreak claims.