Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jan 13: Two healthcare workers suspected of being infected with the Nipah virus are undergoing treatment and observation in West Bengal, officials said on Monday. The cases were detected late Sunday night at a medical facility in Nadia district, after the patients were referred from Barasat in North 24 Parganas district.
West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty said the patients are stable and all necessary treatment and monitoring protocols are in place. “Contact tracing and treatment plans have already been initiated. There is no need to panic, but people must remain alert and follow hygiene precautions,” she said, urging the public not to spread misinformation.
Both patients are employed at the hospital where they are currently being treated. Officials declined to disclose further personal details, citing privacy concerns. The State government has also launched three helpline numbers — 03323330180, 9874708858 and 9836046212 — to address public queries related to the situation.
Health department officials said the two patients had travelled to Purba Bardhaman district on personal work, following which contact tracing has been intensified across North 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman and Nadia districts. Authorities confirmed that the patients had not travelled outside the state recently and that they are in constant touch with their families.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said a national joint outbreak response team has been deployed to assist the State government. The team includes experts from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, AIIMS-Kalyani, and other central health institutions.
A senior Health Ministry official said the situation is being handled with utmost priority, given the high mortality rate and zoonotic nature of the Nipah virus. Central guidelines have been shared with the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, while the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at the National Centre for Disease Control has been activated to coordinate the response.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assuring full support from the Centre and also spoke to her over the phone to review the situation, officials said. Chief Minister Banerjee reportedly visited the hospital late Sunday night.
Public health experts reiterated the need for extensive contact tracing, noting that Nipah virus has an incubation period of four to 14 days. The virus is primarily bat-borne, though transmission through other animals has been reported in some cases. Experts also cautioned against consuming raw date palm sap during winter, which can be a potential source of infection.
Nipah virus causes symptoms similar to influenza, including fever, muscle pain and respiratory distress, and severe cases can lead to neurological complications. There is currently no vaccine for the disease, and treatment involves isolation and supportive care.
The last Nipah outbreak in West Bengal was reported in 2007, while the most recent outbreak in India occurred in Kerala in August 2025.