Two Nurses Critical After Testing Positive For Nipah Virus In Kolkata

Two nurses who have tested positive for the Nipah virus are in a coma and remain in extremely critical condition at the Beliaghata ID Hospital in Kolkata, a senior state health department official said on Wednesday.

Both health workers had tested positive for the virus on Monday. One of them was admitted to the Beliaghata hospital on Tuesday night, while the other, a house staff member, was shifted from Burdwan Medical College and Hospital early on Wednesday, the official told PTI.

“The health condition of both of them remains extremely critical. They are still in a coma and admitted to the ICCU,” the health department official said, as reported by PTI.

PTI reported that a resident medical officer (RMO) at Barasat hospital, who had come into contact with the infected nurses, also developed symptoms suggestive of Nipah infection. The official said the RMO has been placed under isolation, although multiple tests conducted at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at Kalyani AIIMS, including nasal swab, blood, urine and throat swab, returned negative results.

According to PTI, state health department sources said one of the nurses had recently returned from her hometown in Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district, where she fell ill and was first admitted to a local hospital on December 31. As her condition deteriorated, she was moved to Bardhaman Medical College, before being shifted by a special ambulance to Barasat hospital and later transferred to Beliaghata ID Hospital.

A source said the second nurse had a history of travelling to Ghugragachi in Nadia district, close to the India-Bangladesh border.

Nipah virus is a notifiable disease and requires immediate reporting to the central goernment.

(With inputs from PTI)