Two instances of Nipah virus, an uncommon bat-transmitted pathogen that served as inspiration for the movie Contagion, have been verified at a hospital in India, with one patient in critical condition. This dreaded infection can lead to brain swelling and death, posing a severe threat.
The virus is spread to humans through contact with bodily fluids of infected bats, pigs, or individuals, and there is currently no available vaccine. The reported cases have triggered a significant nationwide alert, resulting in the quarantine of local residents. The affected cases, involving two nurses employed at Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, a private facility in Barasat, West Bengal, located 16 miles from Kolkata, have sparked concerns about potential undetected spread of the disease.
According to Mr. Narayan Swaroop Nigam, Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department in West Bengal, “Two nurses at a private hospital have been infected with the Nipah virus, with one of them in critical condition.”
The two individuals had worked together between December 28 and 30, later experiencing high fevers and respiratory distress, leading to their admission to the hospital’s intensive care unit on January 4, with one in a coma.
Authorities suspect that both nurses contracted the virus while caring for a patient who exhibited severe respiratory symptoms and later died without being tested. Presently, officials are conducting contact tracing for individuals who had contact with the infected nurses and the deceased individual, with 180 people tested and 20 high-risk contacts placed under quarantine.
“All of them are asymptomatic and have tested negative. We will conduct another round of testing before their 21-day quarantine period ends,” Mr. Nigam stated. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has issued a nationwide alert, urging authorities to implement preventive measures such as surveillance to prevent further transmission.
Recognizing the potential for Nipah to cause a global health emergency, the World Health Organization has classified it as a critical research priority.
With a fatality rate of up to 85%, Nipah virus typically manifests with symptoms like fever, headaches, pain, vomiting, and sore throat, progressing to fatal brain inflammation. The transmission occurs through contact with infected animals like bats or pigs, contaminated food sources, or direct person-to-person contact.
Oxford University is currently conducting phase one trials for its Nipah vaccine following promising initial findings.
Experts have previously cautioned that increased human interaction with fruit bats, coupled with their movement into densely populated areas, heightens the risk of Nipah virus outbreaks. Initially identified during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia in 1999, the Nipah virus has continued to pose a persistent threat.
The disease first emerged in Bangladesh in 2001 and has resurfaced nearly every year since then. Additionally, traces of this lethal pathogen have been detected in fruit bat populations across various countries, from Cambodia to Thailand.