West Bengal reports 1st Nipah death, 25-year-old nurse succumbs to virus

A 25-year-old nurse died on Thursday at a private hospital in Barasat, North 24 Parganas district, after complications arising from Nipah virus infection, marking the first fatality linked to the virus in West Bengal in recent history. Health ministry sources said the death could not be attributed solely to the Nipah virus. However, they clarified that the infection triggered complications that led to her deterioration.

The deceased was one of two nursing staff members who had tested positive for Nipah since December. While she had recently tested negative for the virus, she remained critically ill and had been under treatment for several weeks.

Hospital officials said she had been in a prolonged coma, which severely weakened her immunity, and later developed a lung infection. She had been taken off ventilator support at the end of January, but her condition worsened again. She was placed back on ventilator support on Wednesday and died of cardiac arrest around 4 pm on Thursday.

“Though she had recovered from Nipah infection, she was suffering from multiple complications,” an official said.

According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), two confirmed cases of Nipah virus disease were reported



from West Bengal. The second confirmed case, a male nurse, recovered and was discharged in January.

The Union Health Ministry also said that of the two Nipah-positive cases reported on January 11, 2026, one nurse who had been critically ill and under intensive care died due to cardiac arrest.

The ministry had earlier cautioned against speculative and incorrect figures about Nipah virus disease circulating in sections of the media. It said that following confirmation of the two cases, the Centre, in coordination with the West Bengal government, initiated comprehensive public health measures as per established protocols.

A total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases were identified, traced, monitored and tested. All were found asymptomatic and tested negative for Nipah virus disease, the ministry said.

Enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing and field investigations were carried out jointly by central and state health agencies to ensure timely containment of the cases, it added.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans. It can also spread through contaminated food or direct human-to-human contact.