Nipah Outbreak in India Prompts Airport screenings Across Asia

An outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal state has raised concern across parts of Asia, prompting several countries to tighten health screening measures at airports and border points.

Thailand has begun screening passengers at three international airports that receive flights from West Bengal. Nepal has also introduced health checks for arrivals at Kathmandu airport and at several land border crossings with India.

India’s health ministry has confirmed two Nipah cases in West Bengal since December, both reportedly among healthcare workers. Authorities traced 196 people who had close contact with the patients and tested them for the virus. All were found to be negative.

Nipah is a zoonotic virus that can spread from animals to humans and between people through close contact or contaminated food. Fruit bats and pigs are known carriers. The virus has a high fatality rate, estimated between 40% and 75%, and there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The World Health Organization has listed Nipah among its top priority diseases because of its potential to cause large outbreaks, alongside pathogens such as Covid-19 and Zika.

The incubation period of the virus ranges from four to 14 days. Symptoms vary widely and may be mild or absent in some cases. Early signs include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and sore throat. In severe cases, patients may develop pneumonia, altered consciousness, or encephalitis—an inflammation of the brain that can be fatal.

The first known Nipah outbreak occurred in Malaysia in 1998 among pig farmers and later spread to Singapore. More than 100 people died, and about one million pigs were culled to control the outbreak, causing major economic losses. The virus was named after the Malaysian village where it was first identified.

Bangladesh has been among the hardest-hit countries, with more than 100 deaths reported since 2001. India has also recorded multiple outbreaks, including in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, and in Kerala in recent years. In Kerala, 17 of 19 confirmed cases were fatal in 2018, while two people died during an outbreak in 2023.

India’s health ministry said the current situation in West Bengal is under close monitoring and that all necessary public health measures are in place.

No cases have been reported outside India so far. However, several countries are taking precautionary steps. On Sunday, Thailand introduced health declaration requirements for passengers arriving from West Bengal at airports in Bangkok and Phuket. Additional screening has also been implemented at popular natural tourist sites.

Jurai Wongswasdi, a spokesperson for Thailand’s Department for Disease Control, said authorities are confident in their preparedness to prevent an outbreak.

Nepal has similarly started screening travellers arriving from India through Kathmandu airport and land border points.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Taiwan have proposed classifying Nipah as a “Category 5 disease,” a designation reserved for emerging or rare infections that pose serious public health risks and require immediate reporting and special control measures.