Bengal issues guidelines for Nipah virus management
Kolkata: Amid concerns over the detection of Nipah virus infection in the state, the West Bengal government on Friday issued a detailed set of guidelines for the treatment and management of suspected and confirmed cases.
The directives come as two nurses of a private hospital in Barasat, North 24-Parganas district, continue to undergo treatment after testing positive for the virus.
The guidelines emphasise early detection, immediate isolation and strict adherence to protocol-based clinical management to prevent further transmission and fatalities. All suspected Nipah cases must be isolated without delay and treated only at designated healthcare facilities equipped with stringent infection prevention and control measures.
Healthcare workers attending to patients have been instructed to follow standard, contact and droplet precautions, with particular stress on the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The Health Department noted that supportive care remains the cornerstone of Nipah treatment, as no definitive antiviral therapy has yet been approved for the infection.
However, the guidelines allow for the conditional use of ribavirin, an antiviral drug, on a case-by-case basis, especially in high-risk exposures, in line with national and state advisories. The document also refers to the possible use of monoclonal antibody therapy under emergency or compassionate-use protocols, subject to availability and regulatory approval.
For chemoprophylaxis, the state has advised careful risk assessment of contacts, including healthcare workers and close household members of confirmed cases.
Such individuals are to be kept under active surveillance throughout the incubation period, with any decision on prophylactic intervention to be taken by designated expert committees.
Hospitals have been directed to conduct regular training programmes for healthcare personnel on Nipah preparedness and response. Urging the public to avoid panic, the state government said it remains fully prepared to deal with any Nipah-related contingency, with robust protocols in place for clinical management, contact tracing and public health response.
