India, Jan 30 : The World Health Organization (WHO) has reassured that the risk of Nipah virus transmission in India remains low and there is no need for travel or trade restrictions, amid reports of two confirmed cases in West Bengal.
According to the WHO’s latest Epidemiological Bulletin, the cases involve a 25 year old male and female nurse working at the same private hospital in North 24 Parganas district. Both developed symptoms in late December 2025, progressing rapidly to neurological complications, and were placed in isolation in early January.
Following confirmation, authorities traced and monitored 196 individuals who had contact with the patients. All contacts have tested negative, and no further Nipah cases have been detected, the WHO said.
“WHO assesses the risk at the sub national level in West Bengal as moderate, given fruit bat reservoirs and possible sporadic spillover, but the national, regional, and global risk remains low,” the bulletin noted. The cases were confined locally, with no symptomatic travel, limiting the likelihood of spread to other states or countries.
This outbreak marks India’s seventh Nipah incident and the third in West Bengal, following previous outbreaks in Siliguri (2001) and Nadia (2007). Nipah, a zoonotic disease primarily transmitted from bats or contaminated food, can also spread from pigs or through prolonged human contact, especially in healthcare settings. Infection may range from mild illness to severe respiratory disease and fatal encephalitis, with a global case fatality rate of 40–75%.
Currently, there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Nipah virus. The WHO emphasized preventive measures to reduce bat to human transmission, including avoiding exposure to bat contaminated date palm sap, properly washing fruits, and steering clear of bat roosts.