181 of 190 samples of nurses’ contacts test Nipah-negative
Times of India | 18 January 2026
Kolkata: The samples of all the suspected Nipah patients have tested negative for the virus, restricting the number of cases in Bengal to two. The condition of the Nipah-affected male nurse at the hospital in Barasat has also improved further, though that of female nurse continues to be critical.
Out of the 190 close contacts' samples, 181 sent to ICMR-NIRBI have tested negative and the number of samples being sent to the mobile BLS-3 lab at Belighata Institute has also trickled down. "No more Nipah-positive case is a good sign, and we are hopeful that the outbreak could be restricted to the two nurses. The condition of the male nurse has improved significantly," said associate professor and head of infectious diseases at IPGMER Yogiraj Ray. Being in the state expert panel, he is involved in the two's treatment.
The two Nipah-positive nurses are both attached to the Barasat hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. The state health department, along with a national team, identified around 190 close contacts of the duo. While 181 have already tested negative, results of the rest are awaited. "All our healthcare workers who were identified as close contacts tested negative. We plan to resume our elective services from Monday. We are grateful to the state health department for their support and guidance during this critical time, and to our caregivers and the community for standing by us in these challenging times," said Venkatesh R, Group COO, Narayana Health.
"We got a majority of the samples on Thursday. Since then, the number of samples coming has trickled down drastically. We did not detect any Nipah positive case aming them," said ICMR-NIRBI director Santa Sabuj Das.
Only one among the close contacts, a young doctor, had complained of fever, prompting his admission to the Beleghata ID hospital. But he tested negative and was discharged later. Another suspect admitted to the ID hospital was not a close contact. The woman in her 60s from Nadia also tested negative.