A laboratory sample of the Nipah virus, which has triggered renewed health alerts following recent cases in India.
Credit : StanislavSukhin, Shutterstock
For many people in Spain, the word pandemic still triggers an uneasy reaction. It has been six years since the country entered lockdown, but the memories of empty streets, face masks and social distancing are still very much alive. That is why reports of new Nipah virus cases in India have not gone unnoticed.
Health authorities in India have confirmed several infections in West Bengal, close to the city of Kolkata, one of the most densely populated areas in the country. Among the latest cases are a doctor, a nurse and another healthcare worker, a detail that has raised particular concern. According to local officials, one of the infected nurses is in critical condition.
The situation is being closely followed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which classifies Nipah as a priority virus because of its severity and its potential to spread if not quickly contained. While there is no suggestion of a global emergency at this stage, the appearance of new cases has inevitably revived memories of how quickly Covid escalated from isolated outbreaks into a worldwide crisis.
What exactly is the Nipah virus?
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, meaning it passes from animals to humans. The WHO explains that it is most commonly transmitted through contact with infected animals, particularly fruit bats, but it can also spread through contaminated food and, in some cases, from person to person.
One of the reasons health experts take Nipah so seriously is the way it affects the body. Some people may experience only mild symptoms or none at all, while others develop severe breathing problems, brain inflammation, or fall into a coma. The virus has a very high fatality rate, estimated at between 40 and 75 per cent, depending on the outbreak and the quality of medical care available.
Why the latest cases have triggered alarm
Nipah outbreaks are not new in this part of the world. The virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999, and since then Bangladesh has reported almost yearly outbreaks. Eastern India has also seen cases from time to time, including in West Bengal.
What has caused fresh concern now is the detection of multiple cases in a short period, combined with the fact that healthcare staff are among those infected. Local authorities have already introduced preventive measures, including isolating contacts, closing schools, reinforcing hygiene campaigns and tracing the source of the infections in an effort to stop further spread.
Officials insist the outbreak remains localised, but the situation is being monitored closely due to the virus’s history and its ability to cause severe illness.
A deadly virus with no approved treatment
Unlike Covid, which eventually benefited from rapid vaccine development, Nipah currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. Medical care focuses on managing symptoms and providing intensive support to those who become seriously ill.
There is, however, ongoing research. An experimental vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, using the same technology as its Covid-19 vaccine, is currently in early human trials. Other experimental therapies, including treatments based on nanobodies derived from alpacas, have shown encouraging results in laboratory studies, but none are yet available for public use.
Is there a wider risk?
For now, the WHO says there is no reason for public alarm outside the affected areas. No cases have been reported beyond Asia, and no travel restrictions have been recommended. However, the organisation notes that evidence of Nipah has been found in fruit bats in several countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Ghana and Madagascar.
That global presence is why the virus remains on the WHO’s watchlist. The concern is not that a pandemic is imminent, but that early detection and fast containment are crucial with a virus this lethal.
Six years after Covid reshaped everyday life, the appearance of Nipah cases is a reminder that infectious diseases have not disappeared. For now, health authorities are urging calm – but also vigilance – as they work to ensure the outbreak remains contained.
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