The main fear of the authorities lies in the ease with which the virus can spread in closed environments once person-to-person transmission occurs.
What is the Nipah virus and why is it scaring the world?
Identified by the WHO as one of the diseases with the greatest potential to cause a pandemic, Nipah is a zoonotic virus whose main source is fruit bats.
The epicenter of the emergency is the Narayana Multispecialty hospital, where a chain of infections was detected that has affected a doctor, a nurse, and other health workers. According to the Argentine News Agency, the situation is critical: one of the nurses remains in a coma with a severe respiratory condition.
Late detection and epidemiological cordon
The preliminary investigation indicates that the virus entered the hospital through a patient who died before receiving a definitive diagnosis, which delayed containment measures. The outbreak is believed to have begun to develop days before the start of 2026, but the severity of the symptoms in the healthcare staff confirmed the presence of Nipah.
As an urgent measure, strict isolation of 20 close contacts was ordered, and mass testing of another 180 people linked to the hospital was initiated.
The state of West Bengal, in eastern India, is on high alert after the confirmation of a Nipah virus outbreak. In Calcutta, the Health Secretariat has restricted hospital visits and is monitoring the entire 'frontline' healthcare, while international organizations closely monitor that the focus does not spread to other densely populated regions of the country.
Humans usually become infected by consuming fruits contaminated by the saliva of these animals or by contact with infected pigs.
What makes Nipah an extreme challenge for modern medicine is its lethality (which can reach 75% of cases) and the non-existence of approved treatments or vaccines.
