Another patient infected with the Nipah virus in India has died, a 25 year old nurse had been in a coma for several weeks.
According to Indian media reports, the nurse infected with the Nipah virus in the state of West Bengal died during treatment. She was under care in the Critical Care Unit of a government hospital. According to authorities, this is the first death from the deadly virus at the provincial level.
Hospital sources said that although the patient’s condition had been improving, the situation suddenly worsened due to a recurrent lung infection and she could not survive.
Another nurse infected with the virus is also admitted to the same hospital and is being kept under strict supervision of specialist doctors, with her condition being continuously monitored.
The health department had earlier claimed that no new case had been reported so far, but after confirmation of the deaths of two infected individuals, authorities have launched a large scale search for close contacts of the patients. Samples from affected individuals had been collected and sent to laboratories.
According to the health department, the reports received so far are encouraging as the presence of the virus has not been confirmed in those tested, indicating that further spread of the disease has for now been contained.
Reports state that the nurse had contracted the rare and brain damaging virus in December last year.
It was reported that the nurse had consumed date palm sap that was contaminated by infected bats. Another medical worker who had fallen ill along with her was discharged from the hospital last month.
According to Indian media reports, the nurse died due to a lung infection and cardiac arrest. A health official said that although she had recovered from the Nipah virus, she was suffering from several other complications.
