Nipah Virus Strikes Bengal: Nurse Critical, Contact Tracing Underway

• A nurse in Purba Bardhaman district has tested positive for the highly contagious Nipah virus.
• The health department has formed a special team to trace contacts of the infected nurse in Katwa.
• The nurse initially consulted a doctor in Katwa on January 2 for general illness, showing no unusual symptoms.
• Her condition worsened, leading to admission at Katwa Sub-divisional Hospital, then Bardhaman Medical College Hospital, and finally Narayana Hospital in Barasat where Nipah was confirmed.
• The infected nurse works at Barasat Narayana Hospital and had visited her village home in Koarpur, Mangalkot, and Guskara recently.

Why It Matters: Nipah virus confirmed in a nurse in Bengal, prompting urgent contact tracing and health monitoring.