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WHO Sees Low Risk of Nipah Spread Beyond India After West Bengal Cluster

India reports no infections among nearly 200 traced contacts.

Overview

  • Two healthcare workers in North 24 Parganas tested positive in January, with one discharged and the other taken off ventilator support and kept under observation after later testing negative.
  • The World Health Organization said there is no evidence of increased human‑to‑human transmission and it does not recommend travel or trade restrictions.
  • Authorities identified and monitored roughly 190–196 contacts of the patients, and all reported tests have been negative.
  • Airport health checks were introduced by authorities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines as a precaution.
  • WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said cases linked to this event are confined to India, marking West Bengal’s third recorded Nipah occurrence since 1998.