The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there is no justification for imposing travel or trade restrictions in response to the recent Nipah virus cases detected in India, while confirming that it continues to closely monitor the situation.
In its latest Epidemiological Bulletin, the WHO reported two confirmed Nipah virus infections in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.
The cases involved a 25-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, both nurses employed at the same private hospital.
According to the WHO, the two healthcare workers developed initial symptoms in the final week of December 2025, which rapidly progressed to neurological complications.
Authorities placed both individuals in isolation in early January following clinical suspicion and laboratory confirmation.
After the diagnosis, health authorities launched an extensive public health response.
Officials identified, traced, and monitored 196 individuals who came into contact with the infected nurses. The WHO confirmed that all contacts have remained asymptomatic and have tested negative for the virus.
“No additional Nipah cases have been detected so far, and the situation continues to be monitored,” the organisation stated.
Amid reports of heightened airport screening in some countries, the WHO clarified that the overall risk of transmission remains low.
It assessed the risk at the sub-national level in West Bengal as moderate due to the presence of fruit bat reservoirs along the India–Bangladesh border and the possibility of sporadic animal-to-human spillover.
However, the WHO stressed that the national, regional, and global risks remain low. It said the cases remain confined to a single district, no patients travelled while symptomatic, all identified contacts tested negative, and authorities have strengthened infection prevention measures.
This marks the seventh documented Nipah outbreak in India and the third in West Bengal, following earlier incidents in Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia in 2007.
Nipah is a zoonotic disease primarily transmitted from bats to humans, either directly or through contaminated food.
It can also spread from animals such as pigs, and in rare cases, through close human contact, particularly in healthcare settings.
Globally, Nipah infections carry a high fatality rate, estimated between 40 and 75 per cent. There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment.
The WHO has reiterated preventive measures to reduce bat-to-human transmission, including avoiding consumption of raw date palm sap, washing and peeling fruits thoroughly, discarding fruits with bite marks, and steering clear of areas where bats roost.
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