As of Feb. 6, 2026, there has been a minor outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in Kolkata, the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. Currently, there is no risk of infection or death from the Nipah virus in the United States.

It was reported by local sources in Kolkata that the infected were a male and a female, both of them 25 years old and nurses at a private hospital near Kolkata. They had both developed symptoms in late December 2025, with confirmation of Nipah virus infection on Jan. 13 2026. Strict infection control protocols were immediately put in place by the Indian government. According to India’s health ministry, tracing back to Dec. 2025, of the 196 people confirmed to have been in contact with the two, all have tested negative for the virus. The virus source is yet to be found.

Though the first outbreak in the West Bengal region since 2007, the last outbreak in India at large had been only two years prior in 2023. As a result of the outbreak, health screenings have been introduced at airports and border crossing points in Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand.

Contrarily, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the current outbreak of the Nipah virus shows little risk of spreading beyond India and has not issued any recommendations on placing restrictions on either travel or trade. The Indian National Centre for Disease Control has announced that no further cases have been confirmed from Dec. 2025 to date.

A zoonotic virus primarily spread through close contact with infected animals, often fruit bats or pigs, the Nipah virus has an estimated 40 to 75 percent fatality rate in humans. Fatality stems from the severe encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and respiratory problems it causes in the infected. In addition, some survivors are left with lifelong neurological difficulties, including persistent seizures and permanent changes in personality.

Again, there is currently no worry of infection or death from the Nipah virus in the United States.