Health authorities in several Asian countries have moved to heighten entry screening after confirmed Nipah virus infections among hospital staff in India’s West Bengal state raised regional alert levels.
Thailand has begun health checks for travelers arriving from West Bengal at three international airports, while Nepal has rolled out screening at Kathmandu’s airport and at multiple land crossings along its border with India. The measures focus on early detection among recent arrivals from affected areas.
The response follows reports that five healthcare workers in West Bengal tested positive for Nipah earlier this month. One of the infected workers remains in critical condition, and officials have placed around 110 people who had close contact with the patients under quarantine as a precaution.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can pass from animals to humans. Transmission has been linked to exposure to infected pigs and fruit bats, as well as to human-to-human spread through contaminated food or close contact. Health experts warn that the disease carries a high fatality rate, estimated between 40% and 75%.
After infection, symptoms can emerge within four to 14 days. Some patients experience mild or no symptoms, while others develop fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, or sore throat. In more serious cases, patients may suffer breathing difficulties, altered consciousness, or pneumonia, and severe infections can progress to encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can be fatal.
The World Health Organization classifies Nipah among its top priority diseases because of its epidemic potential, and there are currently no approved drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent the infection.
