Kolkata, February 12 (IANS). West Bengal recorded its first Nipah virus-related death on Thursday. A nurse admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district died.
State health department sources said the deceased nurse had developed a “secondary infection” in her lungs. Another nurse infected with the virus was also undergoing treatment in the same hospital.
These two nurses are the only cases so far to be infected with Nipah virus.
The state health department had already clarified that apart from these two nurses, no new cases of Nipah virus infection have been reported in the state. Contact tracing was conducted to trace the people who came in contact with the infected nurses.
All the people were identified and their samples were sent to the laboratory. As per the latest reports, the test reports of all the samples have come negative. No trace of Nipah virus has been found in any person who came in contact with the infected nurses.
Bats are the main carriers of Nipah virus. If a person eats fruit affected by bat bites, he can also get infected with this virus. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) had claimed that apart from bats, mad dogs can also be carriers of this virus.
The average mortality rate of people infected with Nipah virus is more than 50 percent. According to doctors, the earlier the virus is detected, the higher are the chances of recovery.
The initial symptoms of the disease are like normal fever, due to which the body temperature increases. This may then lead to seizures, sore throat, and severe breathing problems.
In more severe cases, the patient may go into a coma. There is no specific treatment yet. Research on the vaccine for this virus is ongoing.
–IANS
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