Kolkata: Suspected cases of the Nipah virus (NiV) in Bengal have put the state health machinery on high alert, even as authorities have urged people to remain calm and follow basic preventive measures. The suspected infections, reported from North 24-Parganas, have led to intensified surveillance, contact tracing and coordination with central health agencies.
Nipah is a zoonoses virus, meaning it can spread from animals to humans and also through human-to-human contact. Fruit bats are considered the natural reservoir of the virus. Infection can occur through consumption of contaminated food or close contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. Symptoms often begin with fever, headache and respiratory distress, diarrhoea, muscle pain, severe weakness and in severe cases may progress to encephalitis, making the disease potentially fatal.
Virologist Amitava Nandy cautioned against panic while underlining the seriousness of the disease. “The mortality rate of Nipah is high, but there is no reason to be terrified. Simple precautions like eating properly cleaned fruits and avoiding contamination, especially close contact with people suffering from cough and cold, can help reduce the risk,” he said. Also, the juice extracted from sugarcane or date palm are prescribed to be avoided.
Referring to Bengal’s past encounters with the virus, Nandy recalled that what later came to be known as Nipah was first detected during the 2001 Siliguri fever outbreak. “At that time, no one knew the name of the virus.
Nearly five years later, it was confirmed that the outbreak was actually Nipah. Around 49 people died within a month,” he said. Similar cases were later reported from Nadia district.
In April 2007, five people died within days in Belechuapara village near the Nadia border. The first patient was a 35-year-old farmer who consumed locally brewed liquor made from date palm sap. Investigations revealed the presence of a large number of fruit bats in the area.
Researchers believe bat droppings or secretions contaminated the sap, triggering the infection. Subsequently, the patient’s brother, wife and brother-in-law were infected, followed by a young man involved in collecting medical samples. In each case, symptoms appeared after 12–14 days, consistent with Nipah’s incubation period. In this case the fatality rate was 100 percent.
While the exact source of the current suspected infection remains unclear, the administration says it is keeping a close watch, treating the situation as an early warning. Health officials have reiterated that awareness, hygiene and early reporting of symptoms remain the strongest defence against the virus.