Kolkata: A nursing staff member who had recovered from Nipah virus infection after being on prolonged ventilation support died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in North 24-Parganas’ Barasat on Thursday, a state health department official said.
The woman was taken off ventilation at the end of January after showing signs of improvement. But she developed breathing difficulties again.
Two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus disease have been reported from Bengal since December, according to reports from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The other one was a male nurse who had recovered and was discharged from the hospital around a week ago.
The woman had been in a prolonged coma, which severely affected her immunity, and later developed a lung infection as well.
“She died of cardiac arrest this afternoon. Though she had recovered from Nipah infection, she was suffering from multiple complications”, said an official. “Out of the two Nipah positive cases reported from West Bengal on January 11, 2026, one of the nurses who was critically ill and was under intensive medical care passed away today due to cardiac arrest in the hospital where she was under treatment,” the Union Health Ministry said.
It had said that following confirmation of these two cases, the Centre, in close coordination with the West Bengal government, initiated prompt and comprehensive public health measures in accordance with established protocols.
“A total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have been identified, traced, monitored, and tested.
All traced contacts have been found asymptomatic and have tested negative for Nipah Virus Disease,” the ministry had said in its earlier statement.