Nipah virus: Home quarantine expands in East Burdwan
Kolkata: Health authorities in East Burdwan have intensified surveillance as the number of individuals under home quarantine rises following exposure to a suspected Nipah virus case.
Initially, 48 healthcare workers were traced, but the number has now increased to 82, according to Chief Health Officer Jayram Hembram.
Hembram emphasised that home quarantine does not indicate infection; it is a precautionary step for those exposed during patient care, including ambulance and hospital personnel. Samples from these contacts have been sent for testing, with 14 collected yesterday and 20–22 more dispatched today from the medical college hospital.
Meanwhile, the first two patients—a male nurse from East Midnapore and a female nurse from Mongolkot, who worked at a private hospital in Barasat, North 24-Parganas—remain in the ICU. Among three newly reported cases, one is a doctor from the same Barasat hospital, and the other two—a nurse and hospital staff from Katwa Sub divisional Hospital—had contact with the female nurse. All three are admitted at Belghata Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Authorities suspect the virus originated in Ghoghragachi village, Nadia, near the Bangladesh border. The female nurse may have contracted the virus by consuming raw date palm sap, a known source of Nipah transmission. Cross-border surveillance in Chuadanga and Kushtia districts of Bangladesh has also noted increasing Nipah activity.
Health officials continue to monitor contacts closely, emphasize testing, and urge residents to stay vigilant, maintain hygiene, and report symptoms promptly to prevent further spread.
Referring to Bengal’s past encounters with the virus, Virologist Amitava 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.
