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Jan 27, 2026
India’s health ministry says only two Nipah cases were reported in West Bengal since Dec 2025; 196 contacts tested negative and asymptomatic.
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the country has recorded only two confirmed cases of Nipah virus disease in West Bengal since December 2025, and that no additional cases have been detected so far.
According to the government update, public health teams traced 196 contacts linked to the two cases. Officials reported that these contacts were asymptomatic and tested negative, a sign that containment measures—especially contact identification and monitoring—are working.
The ministry also pushed back on higher case counts circulating in some media reports, calling them speculative and incorrect, and reiterated that official surveillance data support the “two cases” figure.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus (it can spread from animals to humans) and, in some circumstances, can also spread person-to-person—particularly with close, unprotected contact. Because of the potential for severe disease, health authorities typically respond with rapid isolation of suspected cases, aggressive contact tracing, and infection control measures in healthcare settings.
What this means right now: based on the government’s statement, the situation remains localized, and officials have notreported onward spread beyond monitored contacts.
Sources: Government of India Press Information Bureau (PIB) release (Jan 27, 2026).