Seven dead, 92 inmates infected with herpes virus at overcrowded Jalpaiguri correctional home

About 92 inmates of Jalpaiguri Central Correctional Home (JCCH) in West Bengal were infected with the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) between August 20, 2025 and March 9 this year, with seven of the infected inmates losing thier lives due to the infection, prompting alarm among district health and correctional administration officials.

Documents accessed by The Hindu show that during this period, four inmates from the correctional home died at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, while three deaths were reported at Jalpaiguri District Hospital.

An official said that while several patients have recovered, almost half of the 92 inmates affected by HSV-1 and HSV-2 had to be either segregated or put under treatment at State-run health facilities.

The last death linked to the infection was reported on March 6, when 48-year-old inmate, Deben Mondal died at Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital. He had been admitted to the facility on March 2, the official added.

The situation is particularly concerning as Jalpaiguri Central Correctional Home remains one of the overcrowded prisons in the State, with more than 1,200 inmates lodged against a sanctioned capacity of about 700.

Overcrowding as a key factor

Asim Halder, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Jalpaiguri, in a letter dated February 18 to JCCH Superintendent Biswarup Biswas, pointed out that “overcrowding” was one of the biggest risks for the HSV outbreak.

“Close physical contact, shared utilities, and poor personal hygiene were among the other risks pointed out by the CMOH. The steps suggested to control the virus included isolation and cohorting of infected cases, improving personal and hand hygiene, better ventilation, and decongesting the barracks,” the official said, quoting the letter.

The CMOH had also advised declaring an “internal outbreak alert within JCCH”, initiating empirical antiviral therapy for symptomatic cases, and ensuring daily monitoring by a medical officer along with a daily situation report.

Neither Mr. Halder nor Mr. Biswas responded to repeated phone calls about the outbreak’s current status.

Well-known public health expert and epidemiologist Dr. Subarna Goswami said that while HSV is a common virus, if untreated, it can lead to encephalitis, a serious condition involving inflammation of the brain, and can turn fatal.

“It is a matter of concern that the viral outbreak has occurred inside the closed walls of a correctional home where there is overcrowding and a lack of hygiene among inmates,” she added.

As per the 2023Prison Statistics of India, areport published by the Ministry of Home Affairs, district prisons in West Bengal have reported an occupancy rate of 158%. The prisons in the State are also burdened by a high number of inmates who are foreign nationals, particularly those from Bangladesh.