First Nipah Virus Death Confirmed in West Bengal; Young Nurse Dies After Complications

Nipah claims first life in Bengal. A 25-year-old nurse from Barasat, North 24 Parganas district passed away on Thursday evening due to complications from the Nipah virus. 

This is the first reported death from Nipah in West Bengal. She and a male colleague tested positive for the virus on January 11. The male nurse recovered and was discharged, but she continued to face health problems.

Even after testing negative on February 8 and being off ventilator for 10 days, she developed secondary infections, sepsis, and suffered a cardiac arrest that led to her death.

The state health department has confirmed that no new Nipah cases have been detected in West Bengal. Authorities traced nearly 200 people who had contact with the infected nurses, and all their test results came back negative, showing no further spread so far.

Nipah virus spreads from animals to humans, mainly from fruit bats. People can get infected by eating fruits partially eaten by bats or contaminated with bat saliva. Pigs can also carry the virus. Human-to-human transmission can happen through contact with contaminated bedding, clothing, or other personal items from infected people.

Early symptoms are like a common viral fever, including fever, headache, and vomiting. The infection can then affect the brain, causing seizures, and may lead to sore throat, severe breathing problems, or even coma within 24–48 hours. In serious cases, the brain and heart muscles can become inflamed.

Nipah has a high fatality rate of 50–60%, and recovery depends on the patient’s immune response. There is no specific treatment, and doctors treat the symptoms as they appear.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working on a vaccine, but no approved vaccine is available yet.

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