Understanding Nipah Virus: Symptoms, Transmission & India 2026 Update

The Nipah virus is a highly contagious, deadly virus that jumps from animals to humans with —a high death rate and
can also spread from person-to-person. Though rare, it’s medically important because of its high fatality rate and potential to cause outbreaks.

What is Nipah virus?

Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus (animal → human) belonging to the Henipavirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family. It was first identified in 1998–1999 during an outbreak in
Malaysia and has since caused outbreaks in several Asian countries including India and Bangladesh. In India, outbreaks are periodically reported in several parts of the country, including the latest one in 2026.

Transmission

Transmission of the virus to humans can occur from direct contact with infected animals
like bats, pigs or horses, and by consuming fruits or fruit products, such as raw date palm
juice, contaminated by infected fruit bats. The virus can also cause severe disease in farming animals such as pigs.

Transmission to humans:

• Contact with infected animals (bats or pigs) or contaminated food (e.g., fruits or raw palm sap contaminated by bat urine/saliva).
• Human-to-human transmission through close contact
  with body fluids (especially in caregiving/hospital
  settings).
  • No vaccines or specific antiviral medicines are yet licensed; treatment focuses on supportive care.

Symptoms of Nipah Virus Infection

Initial symptoms can resemble many common viral ill-nesses, but some progress to life-threatening complications:
Early symptoms (typically 3–14 days after exposure):
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• Vomiting
• Fatigue

As disease worsens:

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Neurological signs (e.g., confusion, altered consciousness)
• Acute encephalitis (brain inflammation)
• Seizures
• Respiratory distress
• Coma within 24–48 hours in severe cases
• High fatality rate in serious infections

Recent Nipah Virus Cases in India (2025–2026)

West Bengal (December 2025 – January 2026):

• Two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in North 24 Parganas district (Barasat) in West Bengal. Both were healthcare workers (nurses) at a private hospital.
• Symptoms began in late December 2025; they were hospitalized in early January 2026. As of late January, one remained critically ill, and the other showed improvement.
• Over 190 contacts were identified and tested — all were negative so far.
• This marks West Bengal’s third documented Nipah outbreak (previously reported in 2001 and 2007).
Kerala (2025):
• In 2025, Kerala experienced another cluster — three cases were confirmed in Malappuram and Palakkad districts, and 677 contacts were traced by health authorities.
• Kerala has had multiple outbreaks in recent years (since 2018), often with serious complications including deaths in past outbreaks.
These cases remain locally contained due to rapid public health response — active testing, isolation, and contact tracing.

Why These Outbreaks Happen

Nipah virus outbreaks in India are usually sporadic and local, linked to:
• Areas with fruit bat populations (especially Pteropus bats).
• Human exposure to bats’ urine/saliva — through contaminated food or fruit.
• Occasional person-to-person spread (close contact).
• Cultural practices like consumption of raw date palm sap during harvest seasons — a known risk factor in South
Asia.

Prevention & Protective Measures

Since there’s no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment yet, emphasis is on preventing infection:

Personal precautions

• Wash hands often with soap and water.
  • Seek medical care early if fever and neurological symptoms develop after exposure.
  • Avoid direct contact with fruit bats, pigs, and other sick animals.
  • Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating.

Food safety

• Avoid raw date palm sap or products that might be contaminated with bat saliva/urine.
  • Cover date palm sap collection containers to keep bats away.

Healthcare precautions

• Strict infection control in hospitals (PPE, careful handling of body fluids).
• Isolation of suspected or confirmed patients.
• Contact tracing and monitoring to interrupt transmission chains.

Animal and environmental measures

• Quarantine or restrict movement of animals in outbreak zones.
• Culling/restricting access to infected animal premises if advised by authorities.

Risk Assessment

• WHO and Indian health authorities assess the current outbreak risk as moderate at local levels but low at national and global levels.
• International surveillance (screenings at some airports in Asia) has been enhanced as precaution.

Summary

• Nipah virus causes serious illness with fever, neurological signs, respiratory distress, and high fatality in severe cases.
• Recent cases in India are concentrated in West Bengal and Kerala, with rapid containment actions underway.
• No vaccine or specific cure exists yet — prevention via hygiene, food safety, and infection control is key.