Nipah virus cases in West Bengal prompt airport screenings in Thailand and Nepal. India says outbreak is under control.
New Nipah virus infections in India’s West Bengal have raised concerns across Asia, prompting countries like Thailand and Nepal to tighten health checks at airports. Two healthcare workers in West Bengal tested positive for the virus since December, leading to precautionary screening measures, even as Indian authorities assure that the situation is under control, reported the BBC.
India’s health ministry confirmed that 196 people who had come into contact with the infected patients were traced and tested, and all returned negative results. Despite the limited number of cases, the high fatality rate and history of the virus have triggered increased vigilance in neighbouring countries.
Why Nipah Is a Global Concern
Nipah virus is a zoonotic infection, transmitted from animals such as fruit bats and pigs to humans. It can also spread through contaminated food and close human contact. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Nipah among priority diseases alongside Covid-19 and Zika, due to its epidemic potential.
The virus has a mortality rate of 40% to 75%, and no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available. Symptoms vary widely, ranging from fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat to severe cases causing drowsiness, pneumonia, and encephalitis—a dangerous inflammation of the brain. The incubation period generally spans four to 14 days.
Thailand and Nepal Increase Airport Surveillance
Following the West Bengal cases, Thailand implemented passenger screening at Bangkok and Phuket airports for flights arriving from India. Travelers are required to submit health declarations, and monitoring has been stepped up at wildlife tourism sites. Thai authorities expressed confidence in preventing an outbreak.
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Nepal has introduced similar measures at Kathmandu airport and land border crossings with India. Taiwan is also considering adding Nipah to its Category 5 disease list, which is reserved for rare, high-risk infections that require immediate reporting.
A Deadly Virus With a History
Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 among pig farmers in Malaysia, later spreading to Singapore, causing over 100 deaths and the culling of around one million pigs. Bangladesh has recorded more than 100 fatalities linked to Nipah since 2001. India has experienced periodic outbreaks, including in West Bengal (2001, 2007) and Kerala, where the 2018 outbreak resulted in 19 cases with 17 deaths. In 2023, two of six confirmed cases in Kerala proved fatal.
India Monitors Situation Closely
India’s health ministry has emphasized that all necessary containment and monitoring measures are being implemented. No Nipah infections have been reported outside India, but the swift precautionary actions by neighbouring countries underline the seriousness with which even a small cluster of cases is treated.