Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:15pm on 23 Jan 2026,Friday Health & Wellness
West Bengal faces a Nipah virus outbreak with five confirmed cases in Barasat near Kolkata, prompting authorities to place 100 individuals under home quarantine. The infected include two nurses in ICU, a doctor, another nurse, and a healthcare worker, now receiving specialized care at Beleghata infectious diseases hospital. The Union Health Ministry deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team and shared containment protocols. Key precautions include thoroughly washing fruits, avoiding raw date palm sap, maintaining hand hygiene, and not consuming ground fruits showing bite marks. Symptoms appear within 4-14 days, resembling flu initially before potentially causing serious neurological complications. With no approved vaccine or cure, rapid detection and strict isolation remain critical for containment. (PC:X)
