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West Bengal Nurse Dies After Nipah Infection as WHO Rates Wider Spread Risk Low

Health officials say the localized West Bengal cluster is contained after tracing 196 contacts who all tested negative.

Overview

  • A 25-year-old nurse in Barasat died of cardiac arrest after weeks in critical care; she had recently tested negative for Nipah, while a male nurse infected in the same cluster recovered and was discharged.
  • Two infections were confirmed on January 11 among staff at a private hospital in West Bengal, and authorities report no additional cases or active infections in the state.
  • India’s Union Health Ministry says 196 contacts linked to the two cases were identified, monitored and tested, with all results negative for Nipah.
  • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Feb. 11 that the regional and global risk from these recent events is low and noted the India and Bangladesh outbreaks are not linked.
  • A separate patient died in Bangladesh last week, and public-health measures remain in force, with enhanced surveillance, testing, contact tracing and some traveller screening; Nipah has no approved vaccine and high fatality rates.