ISLAMABAD: A fresh outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus has emerged inIndia’s West Bengal state, with health authorities confirming fiveinfections and placing nearly one hundred individuals under home quarantineto curb potential spread. The cases, centred around a private hospital inBarasat near Kolkata in North 24 Parganas district, include healthcareworkers, sparking concerns over nosocomial transmission in a denselypopulated region. Officials report that two nurses remain in criticalcondition, one in a coma, while contact tracing efforts continueintensively to identify and monitor all possible exposures.
The outbreak began with two nurses who developed high fever and respiratorydistress after working together in late December, leading to theiradmission to intensive care. Subsequent testing confirmed Nipah virusinfection, prompting the detection of three additional cases among adoctor, another nurse, and a health staff member linked to the samefacility. These individuals were shifted to the infectious diseaseshospital in Beleghata for specialised management. Health department sourcesindicate that the index case may have been an earlier patient with severerespiratory symptoms who died before full diagnostic confirmation,highlighting gaps in early recognition of zoonotic threats in healthcaresettings.
Nipah virus, a zoonotic pathogen first identified during a 1998 outbreak inMalaysia among pig farmers, is primarily carried by fruit bats of thePteropus genus, also known as flying foxes. Transmission to humans occursthrough consumption of contaminated raw date palm sap, half-eaten fruits,or direct contact with infected animals such as pigs. Person-to-personspread, particularly in close-contact environments like hospitals, has beendocumented in previous Indian outbreaks, mainly in Kerala since 2018, wheredozens succumbed to the illness. The current West Bengal clusterunderscores the virus’s ability to exploit healthcare interfaces, raisingquestions about infection control protocols in non-endemic areas.
The virus manifests initially with flu-like symptoms including fever,headache, sore throat, cough, and body aches, typically appearing four tofourteen days post-exposure, though incubation can extend to forty-fivedays in rare instances. Progression often leads to severe complicationssuch as acute respiratory distress, pneumonia, and encephalitischaracterised by brain inflammation, seizures, drowsiness, and coma.Survivors may face long-term neurological sequelae, including epilepsy orpersonality changes in approximately twenty percent of cases. The absenceof any licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment limits managementto supportive care, including mechanical ventilation and intensivemonitoring in critical units.
Estimates of the case fatality rate vary between forty and seventy-fivepercent, depending on outbreak surveillance, healthcare access, and viralstrain virulence, with some episodes approaching one hundred percentlethality. The World Health Organization classifies Nipah as a prioritypathogen with epidemic potential, urging accelerated research intocountermeasures. Historical data from outbreaks in Bangladesh and Indiareveal recurring seasonal patterns linked to bat activity and date palmharvesting, though urban hospital clusters like the present one deviatefrom typical rural zoonotic spillovers.
In response to the West Bengal developments, neighbouring countries haveheightened border vigilance. Thailand’s Department of Disease Control hasintensified screening at major airports including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang,and Phuket, focusing on arrivals from West Bengal and Kolkata. Measuresinclude thermal scanning, symptom assessment, issuance of health bewarecards detailing warning signs, and referral to quarantine facilities forsymptomatic travellers. Authorities there emphasise that while no domesticcases exist, proactive steps mirror COVID-19 protocols to preventimportation. Similar advisories urge Thai travellers to avoid high-riskareas in India and practise strict hygiene.
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Other regional responses include enhanced acute encephalitis syndromesurveillance in states like Tamil Nadu, with directives to isolatesuspected cases promptly. Global health bodies continue monitoring, notingthat while human-to-human transmission remains limited compared to airborneviruses, the high lethality and lack of therapeutics demand sustainedcaution. Indian authorities assert the outbreak remains localised, with noevidence of widespread community transmission beyond the hospital-linkedcluster, but ongoing testing of over one hundred eighty contacts and publicawareness campaigns aim to contain it swiftly.
Experts stress preventive behaviours such as avoiding raw date palmproducts, not consuming fruits with bite marks from bats, maintaining handhygiene, and using personal protective equipment in healthcare settings.The resurgence in West Bengal, after nearly two decades since the state’slast notable Nipah activity, serves as a reminder of the persistentzoonotic risks in South Asia amid environmental changes and human-animalinterfaces. Health officials urge calm while reinforcing that earlydetection and isolation form the cornerstone of containment in the absenceof medical interventions.
Source:https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/india-races-to-contain-nipah-virus-outbreak-after-five-cases-in-west-bengal-check-symptoms/4116622
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