Kolkata, 16 January (H.S.) :

The health condition of two nurses infected with the Nipah virus showed significant improvement on Thursday, offering cautious relief to health authorities. The nurse from Purba Medinipur has been taken off ventilator support. Her brother, who was also admitted to the hospital, has regained consciousness and is now able to sit up in bed and communicate.

Meanwhile, the condition of the nurse from Katwa in Purba Bardhaman remains critical but stable. Doctors said her health has improved compared to earlier days. Although she is still on ventilator support, she has shown signs of responsiveness by moving her hands and legs slightly and attempting to open her eyes. Medical teams, however, have stated that neither of the patients can yet be declared out of danger.

Health officials attributed the improvement to the timely administration of antiviral drugs, including Ribavirin, along with other supportive medicines. Treatment protocols successfully used in Kerala during previous Nipah outbreaks were followed in this case as well. Officials noted that the relatively early administration of medication played a key role in the faster recovery observed.

In the meantime, the Central ‘National Joint Outbreak Response Team’ (NJORT) has shared important findings regarding the source of the infection. Contrary to initial assumptions, the two nurses were not infected by each other. Instead, investigators believe they may have contracted the virus around the same time from a common source while working at a private hospital in Barasat.

According to available information, both nurses had attended to a woman suffering from an undiagnosed fever, who later died. It is suspected that the patient was infected with the Nipah virus, which remained undetected during her lifetime.

The Health Department stated that nearly 150 samples have been tested so far, with no confirmation of any new infections. The National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) at Beleghata has been designated as the nodal centre for Nipah testing. Officials emphasized that there is no cause for panic at present and no special restrictions have been imposed on the general public.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh