North 24 Parganas. A 25-year-old female nurse died after contracting Nipah virus infection at a private hospital in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. This is said to be the first Nipah-related death in the recent history of the state, due to which the health department has been on heightened alert.
According to hospital sources, the condition of the nurse was very critical for the last few days. Even though his test report came negative recently, his physical condition could not improve. He was kept in the critical care unit for a long time. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to ventilator support on Wednesday, where he died at around 4 pm on Thursday.
Nipah infection was confirmed in two members of the nursing staff of the same hospital. Both were admitted and treatment was started. In January, a male nurse returned home after completely recovering, but the condition of the female nurse continued to be critical. Nipah virus has the ability to spread from person to person, especially through contact with infected fluids. Many Asian countries have increased surveillance at airports in the past over fears the virus could spread across borders.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, that is, it spreads from animals to humans. Fruit-eating bats are considered to be its main source. Food contaminated with their saliva, feces or urine – especially raw date juice – can become a medium of infection. Cases of its spread through pigs have also been reported. The disease can also be spread through close contact with an infected person, although it does not spread as quickly as COVID-19. Symptoms of infection usually appear within 4 to 21 days. Early signs include fever, headache and cough, which can later progress to severe pneumonia or brain swelling (encephalitis).