Woman who survived Nipah infection dies due to cardiac arrest

The nurse who had recovered from Nipah virus infection died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in West Bengal's Barasat on Thursday, news agency PTI reported quoting a state health department official. She had been in a prolonged coma, and later developed a lung infection. She had been taken off ventilator support at the end of January.

"She died of cardiac arrest this afternoon. Though she had recovered from Nipah infection, she was suffering from multiple complications," the official said.

Nipah scare in India

India has been on alert lately after a small Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal, where two healthcare workers tested positive and were treated in hospital. Since December two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus disease have been reported from West Bengal. The other one, a male nurse, has been cured of the disease.

Authorities quickly isolated patients, traced contacts, and no widespread spread has been seen so far. Health teams in India say the situation is under control, but airports in some Asian countries tightened screening as a precaution.

"So, there were multiple outbreaks of Nipah virus. We had an outbreak in Kerala also. The recent outbreak in India is generally West Bengal and some neighbouring countries like Bangladesh have also reported a few cases recently in 2026," Prof. Dr. S M Fayaz, Lead & Senior Consultant - Internal Medicine, KIMS Hospital Bengaluru told TOI Health. "The fatality rate is really high in this case. Generally, the high mortality we say is like the 70-80% mortality we generally have."

It is a majorly supportive treatment

"Generally, human to human contamination is rare," says the doctor and urges people to prevent animal to human transmission by avoiding eating fruits that are contaminated by bats. "Animals can pass the infection to humans, so it’s important to avoid fruits that may have been bitten or contaminated by bats. Sometimes pigs can also get infected if they come into contact with the bodily fluids of these animals, and that can further spread the virus. So we need to be a bit careful. Always check fruits properly before eating them, even the ones bought from the market. Wash them well, and avoid anything that looks half-eaten or damaged, because there’s always a small risk of contamination," he warns.

Incubation period of the virus is generally around 10-15 days. There are no antivirals for it. It is just symptomatic. So, you have to treat the symptoms.

Nipah infection symptoms

"It usually starts like a regular viral illness — fever, headache, body ache, vomiting, maybe a sore throat. Nothing very dramatic at first. But after a few days, things can get serious. Some patients develop breathlessness. Others may start feeling very drowsy or confused. In severe cases, it can lead to encephalitis, which means brain inflammation. The person may become less responsive, not fully conscious, and may not respond properly when spoken to. The main causes of death are severe breathing problems, like pneumonia, or serious encephalitis," says the doctor.


Medical experts consulted

This article includes expert inputs shared with TOI Health by:

Prof. Dr. S M Fayaz, Lead & Senior Consultant - Internal Medicine, KIMS Hospital Bengaluru

Inputs were used to explain how severe Nipah infection is and what are the preventive steps.