Male nurse tests Nipah -ve in first test, woman still +ve
Times of India | 23 January 2026
Kolkata: The samples of the male nurse receiving treatment for Nipah infection tested negative for the virus in the first test conducted during the course of treatment. The 25-year-old's samples, however, will undergo a repeat test before declaring him Nipah virus-free. Sources in the health department said the samples of the female nurse were still positive, and her condition was critical.
Protocol requires samples of infected individuals to be tested every 10 days. If two consecutive samples, taken 24 hours apart, test negative, such patients can be discharged if clinically stable. Accordingly, throat swab, urine and blood samples of the two nurses at the Barasat hospital were sent to NIV Pune on Wednesday.
"Another set of samples of the male nurse is being sent for the consecutive test. If the result shows negative, then he can be shifted out of the isolation ICU. But he should be kept under observation for a few more days before being discharged," a state health official said.
Sources in the Barasat hospital said the male nurse's condition improved significantly and he was clinically stable. The 25-year-old was being fed orally and could walk and talk. The female nurse, however, was still comatose and under ventilation, and on high-dose antibiotics and antiviral drugs.
Despite the recent Nipah outbreak scare, only two persons have been found positive for the virus so far, with all close contacts of the two infected individuals testing negative.