Health authorities across Asia have activated enhanced surveillance protocols following the confirmation of two Nipah virus cases in India’s West Bengal state. The detection has triggered a coordinated response to prevent potential international spread of the high-mortality pathogen.
India’s Health Ministry confirmed the cases, which originated in December and involved healthcare professionals. Through comprehensive contact tracing, 196 individuals were identified, tested, and all were confirmed asymptomatic. No infections have been reported beyond India’s borders to date.
The Thai government has implemented mandatory health screenings for passengers arriving from West Bengal at Bangkok and Phuket international airports, supplemented by health declaration requirements. Additional monitoring has been established at natural tourist sites. Department of Disease Control representatives expressed confidence in existing containment capabilities.
Nepal has instituted parallel measures at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and terrestrial border crossings with India. Meanwhile, Taiwanese health officials are considering designating Nipah as a ‘Category 5 disease’—a classification reserved for emerging infections with significant public health implications that mandate immediate reporting and specialized control protocols.
The Nipah virus, recognized by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen with epidemic potential, maintains a fatality rate between 40-75%. Transmission occurs through zoonotic transfer from fruit bats and pigs, contaminated food sources, and human-to-human contact. No approved vaccines or treatments currently exist.
Clinical manifestations typically emerge within 4-14 days post-exposure, presenting as fever, cephalalgia, myalgia, emesis, and pharyngitis. Severe cases may progress to pneumonia and encephalitis—a frequently fatal cerebral inflammation.
First identified during a 1998 Malaysian outbreak that claimed over 100 lives and prompted the culling of more than one million pigs, Nipah has caused periodic outbreaks across South Asia. Bangladesh has recorded over 100 fatalities since 2001, while India has experienced outbreaks in West Bengal and Kerala, including lethal episodes in 2018 and 2023.