Deadly bat-borne virus with no cure is spreading with 'epidemic potential'

Health officials are working hard to contain a contagious virus after five cases of the deadly disease were detected near one of India's largest cities.

Originating from bats, the Nipah virus has been identified in West Bengal, close to the country's third-most populated city, Kolkata. Now, urgent contact tracing is taking place, as well as quarantines as authorities work to contain the outbreak.

According to Indian media, three new infections were reported this week, which include a doctor, a nurse, and a health staff member. Two nurses - one male and one female - had already tested positive earlier, according to reports.

Both members of staff were working at the private Narayana Multispecialty Hospital in Barasat. As per Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the principal secretary of the department of health and family, one of the two nurses is in critical condition.

It is reported they developed spiking fevers and breathing problems in late 2025, according to The Telegraph. The seriously unwell nurse is now reportedly in a coma, and is said to have caught the infection while treating a patient with severe lung problems.

That particular patient died before any tests were done. Consequently, officials officials have tested 180 people and quarantined 20 high-risk contacts as fears grow of further spread.

Nipah virus is transmitted between humans and animals, most from infected bats or pigs. Human to human contact could also lead the virus to spread. Fruit bats, which are widespread across India's cities and countryside, are the virus's natural hosts.

It's understood that the infection can start off with no symptoms, before the patient becomes acutely unwell with respiratory problems.

Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, while severe cases can cause brain inflammation, leading to coma within 24 to 48 hours. The virus has a high mortality rate, and there is currently no vaccine, or treatment available.

Rajeev Jayadevan, the ex-president of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, said: "Humans being infected with it is rare, with the most likely source from bats caused by eating an infected animal."

To cut down the risk of infection, experts say to avoid exposure to to pigs and bats and by not drinking raw date palm sap, which may have been contaminated by animals. Luckily, Nipah virus does not occur in the UK. There have also been no cases linked to travel.