NEW DELHI — The World Health Organization (WHO) has affirmed that India possesses the “demonstrated capacity” to manage Nipah virus (NiV) outbreaks, following the confirmation of a two-case cluster in West Bengal earlier this month. While the agency has ruled out travel or trade restrictions, it maintains that continued vigilance is required as the source of the infection remains under investigation.
The Barasat Hospital Cluster
The current concern centers on two 25-year-old healthcare workers at a private facility in Barasat. After developing severe neurological symptoms and encephalitis in late December 2025, the patients were isolated. Laboratory confirmation was provided by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on January 13.
Rapid Response and “One Health” Approach
The containment effort has been a coordinated “One Health” operation involving both state and central agencies:
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Massive Contact Tracing: A total of 196 individuals linked to the nurses were tracked and tested. The fact that zero new cases were detected among these contacts suggests that person-to-person transmission has been successfully stalled.
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Zoonotic Surveillance: Because the virus is carried by fruit bats (Pteropus genus), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is currently conducting field investigations to check for viral spillover in the local bat population near the India-Bangladesh border.
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Diagnostic Deployment: A mobile BSL-3 laboratory from Pune was deployed directly to the district to ensure rapid testing turnarounds.
A Fragile Stability
Despite the WHO’s optimistic assessment, the “moderate” sub-national risk in West Bengal has prompted neighboring countries like Nepal and Thailand to initiate airport screenings. Health experts emphasize that since there is no licensed vaccine or specific cure, the strategy remains rooted in early detection and supportive care.
While one of the two infected nurses is reportedly recovering, the other remains in critical condition. The Union Health Ministry has urged the public to rely only on official updates, warning against “speculative figures” currently circulating on social media.
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