Image for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: The Hindu
Two patients with suspected Nipah virus infection in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal remained in critical condition on Tuesday (January 13, 2026). They are receiving treatment at a private health facility in Barasat, the same hospital where both patients worked.
Sources told The Hindu on Tuesday (January 13, 2026) that one of the patients has tested positive for Nipah and the report of the other patient is awaited. When their samples were tested at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Kalyani, both showed Nipah-like symptoms. The samples were then sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for reconfirmation.
One of the patients reportedly fell into a coma, while the other remained on ventilator support on Tuesday (January 13, 2026). They are treated in isolation. Both patients were reportedly on duty at the hospital for the past few days. During these days they had a fever after which they were admitted.
Both private and public hospitals in West Bengal are bracing for an adverse surge in cases. Kolkata’s Infectious Diseases and Beleghata General Hospital (IDBGH) has set up a unit for Nipah patients, officials said on Tuesday. An expert committee was formed, helpline numbers were launched and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was developed for all hospitals. Healthcare facilities are required to follow standard operating procedures to contain the virus and stop its spread.
“Don’t panic but be alert. We have already started contact tracing and SOPs have been developed and deployed,” West Bengal Chief Minister Nandini Chakraborty said on Monday (Jan 12, 2026).
Contact tracing has already started in three districts in North 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman and Nadia, as the two patients recently returned from Bardhaman’s town of Katwa. They traveled for personal work and had no history of out-of-state travel. The route map of the two patients will be traced to find all primary and secondary contacts.
Many who came into contact with the two patients have also been isolated.
The West Bengal government will hold a high-level meeting with senior doctors on Tuesday evening to review the situation and chalk out further action plans.
The state government has also launched three helplines — 03323330180, 9874708858, 9836046212 — for public queries.
Late on Monday (January 12, 2026) night, Union Health Minister JP Nadda also assured assistance to the West Bengal government to help contain the virus, promising to offer technical, logistical and operational support to the state. “This is a serious zoonotic disease that can spread rapidly and we have therefore launched an immediate coordinated action to contain it.”
The center already deployed a national outbreak response team on Monday (January 12, 2026). The team includes experts from the All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene, Calcutta; National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune; National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai; AIIMS-Kalyani; and the Department of Wildlife under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
Nipah virus
Nipah virus is a bat-borne disease, but it can also be spread through pigs. The incubation period of the virus varies between 4-14 days. The symptoms are very similar to the flu – fever, muscle aches, sore throat and difficulty breathing. Extreme cases can have severe respiratory problems and can also lead to convulsions.
Patients may remain asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Doctors are therefore looking for extensive contact tracing of the two patients.
There are currently no vaccines against this disease. But patients are quarantined and given extensive treatment in isolation.
Published – 13 Jan 2026 20:58 IST
