A lethal virus with a fatality rate that can reach 75 percent is once again spreading fear across Asia.
Health authorities in India’s West Bengal state have confirmed a new cluster of Nipah virus infections, all linked to a private hospital, and every confirmed case involves healthcare workers. Doctors and nurses are among the infected, raising alarms about hospital-based transmission and the risk of wider spread.
At least five medical staff members have tested positive, while the man believed to be the index patient died before laboratory confirmation could be completed.
More than 200 contacts have been identified, and over 100 people are currently under strict quarantine for 21 days, the maximum known incubation period of the virus.
So far, those in isolation remain symptom-free.
Authorities say surveillance is ongoing “hour by hour.”
Why Nipah Terrifies Epidemiologists
Nipah virus is not new, but it remains one of the most feared pathogens in modern medicine.
It is a zoonotic virus, meaning it jumps from animals to humans, and then spreads directly between people through close contact or bodily fluids.
The primary natural reservoir is fruit bats, particularly species from the Pteropus genus, which can contaminate food sources such as fruit or raw palm sap.
The virus can also pass through intermediary animals like pigs.
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What makes Nipah especially dangerous is the combination of:
- Extremely high mortality
- Ability to spread in healthcare settings
- No approved vaccine and no specific treatment
Because of this, the World Health Organization classifies Nipah as a priority pathogen with pandemic potential.
Treatment remains purely supportive, often requiring intensive care, ventilatory support, and strict isolation.
It Often Starts Like the Flu, Then Turns Deadly
One of the most dangerous aspects of the Nipah virus is how deceptively mild it can appear at first.
Early symptoms commonly include fever, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea. In many patients, the disease rapidly escalates to severe respiratory distress, neurological complications, encephalitis, seizures, and coma.
The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, but documented cases show symptoms can emerge as late as 45 days after exposure, complicating containment efforts.
Fatality rates vary by outbreak but consistently fall between 40 and 75 percent.
Hospitals on Edge as Doctors Become Patients
The current outbreak has drawn particular concern because healthcare workers were infected first.
Officials report that transmission occurred within a medical facility in Barasat, near Kolkata. Two of the infected were transferred to a specialized hospital in the city. One remains in critical condition, while another is reported as stable but closely monitored.
Experts warn that when frontline medical staff become infected early, it increases the risk of systemic healthcare disruption, a scenario seen repeatedly during past outbreaks.
Airports React as Countries Reinstate Health Screenings
The ripple effects are already being felt beyond India.
In response to the West Bengal outbreak, Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan have reinstated health screening protocols at major airports, echoing measures last widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passengers arriving from affected regions are now subject to:
- Temperature checks
- Symptom assessments
- Health declaration procedures
- Distribution of monitoring cards with emergency instructions
Thailand confirmed screenings at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket airports, while Nepal introduced checks at Tribhuvan International Airport and land border crossings. Taiwan has also intensified surveillance for travelers from high-risk areas.
Officials stress these are precautionary measures, but acknowledge the seriousness of the threat.
Health officials also warn that the real risk may lie beyond the current outbreak zone.
Nipah’s long and unpredictable incubation period means infected individuals can remain symptom-free for weeks, increasing the chance of undetected travel and secondary transmission.
While no international cases have been confirmed, experts stress that even a small number of missed infections could allow the virus to surface in new locations before containment measures take effect.
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A Familiar Pattern, an Unfinished Threat
Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in the late 1990s, with subsequent outbreaks in Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and the Philippines, according to NCBI. India’s Kerala state alone has experienced multiple outbreaks over the past decade, some involving hospital clusters similar to the current situation.
Public health experts say the virus’s ability to reappear, combined with the absence of a vaccine, makes every new cluster a global concern, even when case numbers remain small.
For now, officials insist the outbreak is contained, but surveillance remains intense. As one European infectious-disease specialist warned this week: “Nipah does not need many cases to overwhelm a system. It only needs the wrong conditions.”
And once again, those conditions are being tested.
