Chennai, Jan 19 (IANS) Tamil Nadu has stepped up disease surveillance and hospital preparedness following the confirmation of two Nipah virus cases in Nadia district of West Bengal, prompting a nationwide health alert.Acting on advisories from the Government of India, the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has instructed all district, city and municipal health authorities to intensify monitoring for Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) across the State.The health …
Latest Nipah virus News & Updates
New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) The ongoing Nipah outbreak in West Bengal, with cases rising to five in just a week, acts as a warning against intruding into animal habitats, said health experts on Friday.The first two patients — a male nurse from Purba Medinipur district and a female nurse from Mongolkot in Purba Bardhaman district who worked at a private hospital in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district — continue to remain in the ICU. All three new cases — a doctor, a nurse, and a health staff me…
Kolkata, Jan 14 (IANS) The detection of two suspected Nipah virus cases in West Bengal has put health authorities on alert, prompting the Centre to deploy a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to support containment and public health measures.Doctors said that the Nipah virus is rare, unpredictable and can be deadly.On Wednesday, they said that awareness and early action are crucial to prevent its spread.Dr Rakesh Pandit said Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can spread from animal…
Kolkata, Jan 14 (IANS) Two nurses from Barasat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal who have tested positive for the Nipah virus are in a coma and in extremely critical condition, hospital sources said on Wednesday.In both cases, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores for eye opening, verbal response, and motor response are below five. The female nurse has tested positive for Nipah, with her samples confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Doctors said the male nurse, wh…
Kolkata, Jan 12 (IANS) Two suspected cases of Nipah virus disease were identified on January 11 at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), ICMR, AIIMS Kalyani in West Bengal.Both the affected persons are nurses and are currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital, West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and state Health Secretary Narayan Swoop Nigam confirmed on Monday.They said the state health department is keeping a close watch on the situation and is trying to tr…
New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) Two suspected cases of Nipah virus disease, listed as a high-priority pathogen by the WHO, have been identified in West Bengal, according to official sources on Monday.The cases were identified on Sunday at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), ICMR, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal.The sources noted that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation in the state, with Union Minister JP Nadda writing to Chief Minister Mamata Ban…
New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) A phase 1 randomised clinical trial of a novel Nipah virus vaccine, led by US researchers, may soon pave the way to prevent the deadly infection.All three doses and regimens of the vaccine named HeV-sG-V demonstrated to be safe and generated an immune response, according to the researchers in the study published in the journal The Lancet.”The induction of antibodies within 1 month of vaccination, along with the persistence afforded by two dosages, suggests the vaccine ca…