Two cases of contamination by the deadly Nipah virus have recently been diagnosed in the Indian state of West Bengal (northeast) but the risks of the disease spreading have been "contained in time", the Indian Ministry of Health said Tuesday evening.
There is no vaccine against this virus, which is usually transmitted to humans through animals or contaminated food and whose mortality rate varies from 40 to 751, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
"Enhanced surveillance measures, laboratory tests and field investigations (...) have made it possible to contain the number of cases in a timely manner," the ministry said in a statement.
No details have been given on the health status of the two infected individuals.
"The situation is under constant surveillance and all required public health measures are in place," the ministry continued, adding that all 196 contact cases identified have tested negative.
The first Nipah outbreak was recorded in 1998 after the virus spread among pig farmers in Malaysia. The virus is named after the village in that Southeast Asian country where it was discovered.
The first cases of infection in India were detected in 2001, in West Bengal. In 2018, an outbreak in Kerala (southern India) resulted in 17 deaths.
Symptoms include high fever, vomiting and respiratory infection, but severe cases can be characterized by seizures and brain inflammation leading to coma.
English 
French