In its latest Disease Outbreak News update, the WHO said the National IHR Focal Point for India notified the organization on Monday of the two cases detected in West Bengal, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
According to the WHO, the infections were confirmed at the National Institute of Virology in Pune on January 13. Both cases involve healthcare workers employed at a private hospital.
Indian authorities have identified and tested more than 190 contacts linked to the cases. All tested negative, and no additional infections have been detected so far, the WHO said.
The latest cases mark the third Nipah virus outbreak reported in West Bengal, following previous outbreaks in 2001 and 2007. Health authorities have implemented enhanced surveillance along with infection prevention and control measures, while investigations into the source of exposure continue.
Nipah virus infection is a rare but severe zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and, in certain circumstances, through human-to-human contact.
The WHO assessed the risk posed by the outbreak as moderate at the sub-national level, and low at the national, regional, and global levels.
