Two suspected cases of the Nipah virus have gripped panic across West Bengal. Two nurses working at a private hospital in the North 24 Parganas district were showing symptoms of the Nipah virus.
According to the West Bengal health department, the condition of the two nurses remains critical.
The sample of both nurses sent to Kalyani AIIMS for testing turned positive for Nipah.
One nurse is a resident of Nadia district, while the other lives at Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district. Presently, both are being treated at Barasat hospital.
What is Nipah?
Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to people from animals. It causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic infection to fatal encephalitis.
*It spreads through direct contact with infected animals.
*Close contact with the body fluids of an infected person.
What are the symptoms?
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Initially, the symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat and breathing difficulty. Later in the infection, some people may experience brain swelling or encephalitis.
How to avoid risk?
Caregivers and healthcare providers are at a higher risk. Therefore, take necessary steps to reduce the spread:
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
Avoid areas where bats roost
Avoid touching anything that could be soiled by bats
Check fruits before eating
Avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of someone with Nipah
A national joint outbreak response team has been deployed to support the state government in containment and public health response measures.
The team comprises experts from the All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene, Kolkata; National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune; National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai; AIIMS Kalyani; and the Department of Wildlife, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, they said.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, has been activated to coordinate the national response.