New Delhi: Recent Nipah virus cases in the Indian state of West Bengal have raised alarms across Asia. Countries, including China, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia, have tightened health screenings at airports ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Millions of travellers are preparing for the celebrations, while authorities are on high alert.
Since December 2025, two confirmed cases have been reported in the state, according to the health ministry. While details about the patients are limited, officials said that all 196 traced contacts linked to the confirmed cases are asymptomatic and have tested negative. The ministry assured that the situation is being monitored and all necessary public health measures are in place.
A district health officer told Reuters that both infected individuals are healthcare workers who contracted the virus in late December and are presently being treated at a local hospital.
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
Understanding the Nipah virus
The Nipah virus, or NiV, is a zoonotic disease, which spreads from animals such as fruit bats and flying foxes to humans. It can also be transmitted through contaminated food or from person to person. Symptoms appear within three to four days of infection but can incubate for up to two weeks.
The virus causes severe respiratory and neurological illness. It first causes fever and headache and progress to acute encephalitis, or brain inflammation, in serious cases. Convulsions, mental confusion and rapid progression to coma can occur within 24 to 48 hours in severe infections. The case fatality rate is high, between 40 and 75 percent.
However, the virus’s ability to spread between humans is limited. On average, one infected person passes it to less than one other person, so outbreaks usually is small and a large-scale pandemic is unlikely.
Past outbreaks offer context
The first known Nipah outbreak occurred in 1998 among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore, infecting over 250 people and claiming more than 100 lives. In 2014, infections in the Philippines were linked to horse slaughter and the consumption of contaminated meat.
South Asia has experienced recurring outbreaks since 2001, particularly in Bangladesh and India. In Bangladesh, outbreaks have been traced to the consumption of raw palm sap contaminated by bats, close contact with infected individuals and care for sick patients.
India’s first recorded cases were in West Bengal in 2007, though a retrospective analysis identified a 2001 outbreak in Siliguri, where hospital staff and visitors accounted for 75 percent of cases. Since 2018, Kerala has reported multiple deaths, making it the highest-risk region across the globe.
The exact cause of the recent outbreak in West Bengal is unclear. Experts say that the infection of two healthcare workers at the same hospital suggests transmission from an undiagnosed patient within the facility.
No approved vaccine yet
There is presently no approved vaccine or treatment for Nipah. Clinical trials by the University of Oxford in Bangladesh are underway, with the second phase beginning in December 2025.
In the meantime, antiviral drugs like Ribavirin and Remdesivir have been used in certain cases, though their effectiveness is not fully confirmed. Kerala reportedly used Remdesivir in a 2023 outbreak with some improvement in outcomes.
Regional precautions intensify
Several countries have already introduced airport screening measures. Thailand has set up special parking bays for flights from affected regions and requires passengers to submit health declaration forms. Thermal scanners at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport help detect fever or other symptoms.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Nepal have implemented similar screening procedures.
Despite heightened concern on social media, including in China, experts emphasise that Nipah is not comparable to COVID-19. They stress that severe cases can be managed with intensive supportive care and that strict preventive measures is effective.
The World Health Organisation recommends precautions such as avoiding consumption of raw palm sap, boiling freshly collected juice, peeling and washing fruits and wearing protective clothing when handling sick animals. In healthcare settings, contact and droplet precautions, and in some cases airborne precautions, are advised. Regular handwashing after caring for infected individuals is also crucial.
What you can do
Travellers and residents can protect themselves by maintaining good hygiene, ensuring proper ventilation in homes, avoiding crowded spaces, staying home when ill, seeking timely medical attention and supporting overall immune health.
These measures, combined with careful monitoring at borders and airports, aim to limit the spread of the virus while allowing daily life to continue safely.