West Bengal nurse dies weeks after beating ‘Nipah Virus’, cardiac arrest raises fresh concerns

A 25-year-old nurse in West Bengal dies of cardiac arrest weeks after recovering from Nipah virus infection, raising fresh concerns about post-recovery complications and hospital-acquired infections.

A nurse who had survived an infection by the deadly Nipah virus succumbed to her illness and passed away on Thursday at a private hospital in Barasat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, officials said. The 25-year-old woman from Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district had battled the rare virus with flying colours but had never quite recovered after being critically ill for weeks.

Battle of Nipah: From Diagnosis to Recovery

The nurse had fallen ill during the first week of January after returning home on December 31 for the New Year holidays, officials said. She was admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital but her condition soon began to worsen and she was shifted to the private hospital in Barasat where she was placed under observation.

She and another male nurse had tested positive for Nipah virus infection on January 11. When both of their conditions worsened, they were placed on ventilator support but while the male nurse made a recovery and was discharged, she continued to suffer.

She Tested Negative for Nipah Before She Died

The patient had tested negative for Nipah before she died, meaning that she no longer had the virus in her system. But months of illness had left her weak with a ravaged immune system.

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She suffered from a secondary lung infection as well as a nosocomial infection or hospital-acquired infection while she was put under observation in intensive care, both of which took a toll on her body. Doctors said that was probably what led to her heart suddenly stopping function on Thursday afternoon.

“She was trying to sit up and speak and move her limbs when she collapsed,” an official said. She died around 4:20 PM.

State conducts contact tracing of nurses as officials sound alert

The development comes after doctors had announced that the young nurse had made a full recovery from her illness. This is one of the few severe consequences that has come about as a result of the recent cases of Nipah in West Bengal this season.

NCDC officials have confirmed two infections of the virus in the state so far since December. Both patients have been healthcare workers but officials have not detected any signs of community transmission since then.

The state had conducted contact tracing of those who had come into contact with the nurses – almost 200 people. All people who were tested came out negative for the virus and none have developed symptoms since.