Nipah virus in West Bengal: WHO sees low spread risk, rules out travel and trade restrictions
India has demonstrated its capacity to manage Nipah outbreaks during previous events, and recommended public health measures are being implemented jointly by national and state health teams
- Jan 30, 2026,
- Updated Jan 30, 2026 1:31 PM IST
With just two confirmed Nipah virus cases reported since December 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the risk of the infection spreading from India remains low, and there is no reason at this stage to impose travel or trade restrictions.
India has demonstrated its capacity to manage Nipah outbreaks during previous events, and recommended public health measures are being implemented jointly by national and state health teams. At this time, there is no evidence of increased human-to-human transmission,” WHO said in a statement on Friday.
While ruling out curbs, the WHO cautioned that further exposure cannot be ruled out because the virus is known to circulate among bats in parts of India and neighbouring Bangladesh.
The assessment comes even as several countries, including Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Nepal, have brought back Covid-style health screening measures following reports of cases.
West Bengal cases: two nurses from the same hospital
India has confirmed two Nipah infections this month in West Bengal. Both patients are 25-year-old nurses, a woman and a man, working at the same private hospital in Barasat, in the North 24 Parganas district.
They developed symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which rapidly progressed to neurological complications. Both were placed in isolation in early January.
The infections were first flagged as suspected Nipah cases on January 11 by the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at a government hospital in Kalyani. Final confirmation came from the National Institute of Virology in Pune on January 13.
The WHO said that as of January 21, the male patient was recovering, while the female patient remained in critical condition.
Contacts test negative, ministry warns against rumours
India’s Union Health Ministry has said all identified contacts linked to the two cases have tested negative.
“It has been observed that speculative and incorrect figures regarding Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) cases are being circulated in certain sections of the media. In this context, it is clarified that, as per reports received from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), only two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus Disease have been reported from West Bengal from December last year till date,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also urged people and media outlets to rely only on official updates and avoid spreading unverified reports.
With just two confirmed Nipah virus cases reported since December 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the risk of the infection spreading from India remains low, and there is no reason at this stage to impose travel or trade restrictions.
India has demonstrated its capacity to manage Nipah outbreaks during previous events, and recommended public health measures are being implemented jointly by national and state health teams. At this time, there is no evidence of increased human-to-human transmission,” WHO said in a statement on Friday.
While ruling out curbs, the WHO cautioned that further exposure cannot be ruled out because the virus is known to circulate among bats in parts of India and neighbouring Bangladesh.
The assessment comes even as several countries, including Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Nepal, have brought back Covid-style health screening measures following reports of cases.
West Bengal cases: two nurses from the same hospital
India has confirmed two Nipah infections this month in West Bengal. Both patients are 25-year-old nurses, a woman and a man, working at the same private hospital in Barasat, in the North 24 Parganas district.
They developed symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which rapidly progressed to neurological complications. Both were placed in isolation in early January.
The infections were first flagged as suspected Nipah cases on January 11 by the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at a government hospital in Kalyani. Final confirmation came from the National Institute of Virology in Pune on January 13.
The WHO said that as of January 21, the male patient was recovering, while the female patient remained in critical condition.
Contacts test negative, ministry warns against rumours
India’s Union Health Ministry has said all identified contacts linked to the two cases have tested negative.
“It has been observed that speculative and incorrect figures regarding Nipah Virus Disease (NiVD) cases are being circulated in certain sections of the media. In this context, it is clarified that, as per reports received from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), only two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus Disease have been reported from West Bengal from December last year till date,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also urged people and media outlets to rely only on official updates and avoid spreading unverified reports.