{"id":5050,"date":"2026-01-24T17:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T17:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5050"},"modified":"2026-01-24T17:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T17:16:21","slug":"epidemic-potential-nipah-virus-with-no-vaccine-or-treatment-spreading-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5050","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Epidemic potential\u2019 Nipah virus with no vaccine or treatment spreading in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indian\u00a0health<\/a>\u00a0authorities are tackling a Nipah virus outbreak after five cases of the incurable disease were detected.<\/p>\n

The infections from the bat-borne pathogen were reported in the eastern state of West Bengal near the state capital Kolkata,\u00a0India<\/a>\u2019s third-most populous city.<\/p>\n

Three new infections were reported this week, authorities said.<\/p>\n

They include a doctor, a nurse, and a health staff member, according th Press Trust of India news agency.<\/p>\n

Two nurses, a male and female, had tested positive earlier. Both were working at the private Narayana Multispeciality Hospital in Barasat, some 15 miles north of Kolkata.<\/p>\n

Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the principal secretary of the department of health and family, said one of the two nurses is in critical condition after both developed high fevers and respiratory issues between\u00a0New Year\u2019s Eve<\/a>\u00a0and January 2, The Telegraph reports.<\/p>\n

The nurse, who is in a coma, is thought to have caught the infection while treating a patient with severe respiratory issues. The patient died before tests were carried out.<\/p>\n

Now the authorities have tested 180 people and quarantined 20 high-risk contacts.<\/p>\n

What is the Nipah virus?<\/h2>\n
\n
\"The<\/div>
Fruit bats carry Nipah virus (Picture: NurPhoto\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nipah virus spreads between animals and people, such as from infected bats or pigs, and it can also be transmitted between people.<\/p>\n

Fruit bats, which are common in India across cities and countryside, are the natural hosts of the virus.<\/p>\n

In humans, the virus can show as an asymptomatic infection and acute respiratory issues. Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and sore throat, and severe cases of brain inflammation can lead to a coma within 24 to 48 hours.<\/p>\n

It has a fatality rate of between 40% to 75%, and there is no treatment or vaccine against Nipah.<\/p>\n

What does \u2018priority pathogen\u2019 mean?<\/h2>\n

The virus has been classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) because it has the potential to trigger an epidemic.<\/p>\n

The organisation has called for urgent research and development into the pathogen, including animal and human vaccine\u00a0work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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