Two nurses suspected to be infected with Nipah Virus in West Bengal; Odisha on alert
Bhubaneswar(By Abhishek Mohanty): Fresh concerns have surfaced in Odisha following reports that two nurses in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district are suspected to be infected with the Nipah virus. The development has prompted heightened vigilance in Odisha, particularly due to frequent inter-state movement of people.
According to preliminary information, the nurses exhibited symptoms consistent with Nipah virus infection. Their samples have been sent to AIIMS for laboratory confirmation.
In response to the suspected cases, the Central Government has intensified monitoring and constituted a National Joint Outbreak Response Team.
Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and also spoke with her over the phone, assuring full support from the Centre.
Sources in the Ministry of Health said the Centre is extending comprehensive technical, logistical, and administrative assistance to West Bengal. Adequate resources for testing, surveillance, treatment, infection prevention, and control have been mobilised.
The state has also been advised to strictly enforce contact tracing and other preventive measures to contain any potential spread.
Meanwhile, health authorities have urged the public to remain cautious by maintaining proper hand hygiene and avoiding contact with potentially infected animals such as pigs and bats.
Experts noted that the Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals to humans, through contaminated food, or via direct human-to-human contact. Transmission risk is particularly high through infected saliva, urine, feces, and blood. Common symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and respiratory distress. In severe cases, the infection can lead to coma.
Although no Nipah virus cases have been reported in Odisha so far, the situation has triggered anxiety among residents. Memories of the Covid-19 pandemic-when infections spread rapidly due to inter-state and international travel-have further heightened public concern.
