Chicago – February 07, 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that a patient in Bangladesh died after contracting the Nipah virus, adding that it believes the risk of the disease spreading internationally still remains low.
The WHO said on Friday that a patient died after being admitted to hospital on January 28, where a team collected throat swabs and blood samples. Infection with the virus was laboratory-confirmed the following day.
“On 3 February 2026, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) for Bangladesh notified WHO of one confirmed case of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in Rajshahi Division,” the international health organisation said in a statement.
The announcement comes about a week after two cases were confirmed in West Bengal state in eastern India, as authorities work to contain the deadly virus that they say remains largely under control.
An outbreak of the Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal has heightened concerns in China and several Southeast Asian nations, prompting tighter health screening operations at airports, though the WHO said it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
“WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by NiV to be low at the national, the regional and global level,” an assessment reads.
“The risk of international disease spread is considered low,” it said.
