January 29, 2026
Two Nipah virus infections confirmed in West Bengal, WHO urges One Health surveillance
SUMMARY: Two laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus infections in nurses in West Bengal prompted targeted public health action and regional travel screenings
India confirmed 2 laboratory-confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection in West Bengal in January 2026. Both patients were 25-year-old nurses employed at the same private hospital in Barasat and developed neurologic complications after symptom onset in late December 2025
LINK:https://www.dvm360.com/view/two-nipah-virus-infections-confirmed-in-west-bengal-who-urges-one-health-surveillance&
LINK:https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-events/nipah-virus-disease-cases-reported-west-bengal-india-very-low-risk-europeansCOMMENT: I can't help but cringe when they say it is "low risk" It may be low risk but they should say the
stakes are super high. I guess it is
low risk for a
high stakes disease! ...Nipah virus (NiV) can spread from human-to-human so I guess they are saying they quarantined everybody. I guess we will have to take their word on that .. of course it got two laboratory nurses to begin with which was also probably considered a low risk probability is something to think about. Again, just the fact that it was from a laboratory spooks me.
From their words...
"Media and regional reports indicate that the January 2026 situation has triggered airport and border screening in some neighboring countries as a precautionary measure. Veterinarians with animals or clients who travel regionally should be aware of evolving advisories."
... note they say "
some neighboring countries" and not
all neighboring counties.
...also they say "Veterinarians with animals or clients who travel regionally should be aware of evolving advisories"
.. note yeah they "
should be aware" but
are they aware!?
Merely being being
aware of something doesn't mean crap insofar as precautions go such as masking & quarantining animals especially if people and animals are asymptomatic. Besides what does "evolving advisories" mean and do veterinarians know what that means?
