Mint Explainer | Understanding the Nipah virus threat in West Bengal and what the government is doing to contain it

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India launched a surveillance drive following the identification of two suspected cases of Nipah virus (NiV) in West Bengal on 11 January. With two patients—both nurses—under observation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kalyani in West Bengal, the Central government has activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in New Delhi.

A National Joint Outbreak Response Team has been deployed to prevent the spread of the virus. Given the high fatality rate and the absence of a licensed vaccine, understanding this threat is critical for public safety. The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus, one that spreads from animals to humans.

It is considered a major public health threat because of its high fatality rate, which typically ranges from 40% to 75%, and, in some cases, exceeds 90%. The virus causes a rapid, terrifying progression from mild flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress and fatal encephalitis, which is a severe inflammation of the brain that can lead to a coma within 24 to 48 hours. The natural reservoirs of the virus are fruit bats, specifically the Pteropus species or "flying foxes." Humans typically catch the virus by consuming food contaminated with bat secretions, such as drinking raw date palm sap or eating fruits bitten by bats.

Once a human is infected, the virus can spread to others through close contact with bodily fluids—blood, urine, or saliva. This transmission is particularly dangerous in hospital settings, where healthcare workers may be exposed to respiratory droplets or secretions while providing care without personal protective equipment. The Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1998, and it has emerged as a