Indias Nipah Virus Outbreak Sparks Global Health Concerns

Two confirmed cases of the Nipah virus have been reported in West Bengal, India’s health ministry announced on Wednesday. Since December 2025, a total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have been monitored for symptoms. According to the ministry, all traced contacts have tested negative for the virus.

The two individuals infected in West Bengal were identified as health workers and are being treated at a local hospital. The district health officer stated that the patients were diagnosed with the virus in late December.

The Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. It can also spread through contaminated food products or direct person-to-person contact. The virus typically incubates for five to 14 days and causes severe respiratory and neurological symptoms.

According to Kaja Abbas, an associate professor of infectious disease epidemiology and dynamics, the case fatality rate for Nipah virus is between 40 percent and 75 percent. However, the basic reproduction number suggests that the virus spreads in a limited way via human-to-human transmission.

The first known outbreak of NiV occurred in 1998 among pig farmers and butchers in Malaysia and Singapore. Since then, there have been sporadic outbreaks in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and India. The World Health Organization has linked outbreaks in Bangladesh to the consumption of contaminated raw palm sap and close contact with infected individuals.

In India, the first cases were recorded in West Bengal in 2007, but an earlier outbreak was identified in Siliguri city in 2001. Since 2018, dozens of deaths have been reported in Kerala state, which is considered a high-risk region for the virus. The cause of recent outbreaks in Indian states remains unclear.

Health officials are monitoring the situation closely and implementing necessary public health measures.

Source: Al Jazeera