WHO Assesses Nipah Virus Outbreak in India as Low Risk
WHO Assesses Nipah Virus Outbreak in India as Low Risk
The World Health Organization (WHO) has moved to reassure the public following the detection of new Nipah virus cases in India, stating that the risk of further spread remains low and that no travel or trade restrictions are required.
The assessment follows the confirmation of two Nipah virus infections in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, a region that has previously experienced Nipah outbreaks. Both patients are 25-year-old nurses (a man and a woman) employed at the same private hospital in Barasat.
According to health authorities, the two developed initial symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which rapidly progressed to neurological complications. They were placed in isolation in early January.
In an update published on its website, WHO said that an extensive public-health response was immediately activated after confirmation of the cases. A total of 196 contacts linked to the two patients were identified, traced, monitored, and tested. All were asymptomatic and tested negative for Nipah virus infection. As of 27 January 2026, no additional cases had been detected so far.
"The likelihood of spread to other Indian states or internationally is considered low,” WHO said, adding that while the sub-national risk in West Bengal is assessed as moderate due to the presence of fruit bat reservoirs in border areas and the possibility of sporadic spillover - the national, regional, and global risk remains low.
Based on current evidence, WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions.
The national government has deployed an outbreak response team to West Bengal to work alongside state authorities. Enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control measures, and field investigations are ongoing. WHO noted that strong coordination between central and state health teams has enabled the timely containment of the outbreak.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease transmitted primarily from bats to humans, either directly or through contaminated food, and in some cases via close human contact. There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. WHO emphasized that early detection, supportive clinical care, and strict infection-prevention measures remain critical to reducing fatalities.
Historically, Nipah outbreaks in the WHO South-East Asia Region have been limited to Bangladesh and India, occurring sporadically or in small clusters. Human-to-human transmission is rare and usually confined to health-care settings or close family contacts, with no documented cases of international spread through travel.
This marks the seventh documented Nipah outbreak in India and the third in West Bengal, following earlier outbreaks in Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia in 2007. Several affected districts lie close to Bangladesh, where Nipah outbreaks are reported almost every year.
WHO said multiple vaccine candidates are currently under development, but stressed that until these become available, early supportive care including intensive treatment for severe respiratory or neurological complications remains the most effective way to improve patient survival.
