Only Two Confirmed Nipah Virus Cases Reported in West Bengal

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) today confirmed in a statement that only two cases of Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) have been reported in West Bengal from December 2025 to date.

These two confirmed cases mark the first reported Nipah incidents in West Bengal in nearly two decades, following a previous outbreak in 2007.

A total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases were identified, traced, monitored, and tested; all were found to be asymptomatic and tested negative for NiVD.

As of January 27, 2026, no additional cases have been detected in West Bengal, a state in eastern India, between the Himalayas mountains and the Bay of Bengal.

The Ministry stated that the situation remains under constant monitoring, with all necessary public health measures in place to prevent any further spread.

Nipah virus, a zoonotic pathogen transmitted primarily from fruit bats or through contaminated food, can cause severe illness in humans. However, human-to-human transmission is possible in close-contact settings.

Regarding disease prevention, Nipah virus vaccine candidates include live-attenuated and replication-defective recombinant platforms based on poxviruses, VSV, adenovirus, measles, rabies, and virus-like particles, as well as subunit vaccines.

These vaccines have not been approved by any government agency.