A number of Asian international locations have launched screening measures for arrivals from India, as New Delhi seeks to dampen alarm.
Printed On 28 Jan 2026
Looking for to dampen alarm within the area, Indian officers have declared that an outbreak of the lethal Nipah virus has been contained.
The Ministry of Well being and Household Welfare stated late on Tuesday that it has ensured “well timed containment” because it confirmed two instances in West Bengal state. A number of Asian international locations have launched screening procedures for travellers arriving from India.
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The ministry stated 196 contacts linked to the confirmed instances had been “recognized, traced, monitored, and examined”, with all checks for the virus adverse. It stated the assertion was meant to make clear “speculative and incorrect figures” within the media.
“The state of affairs is below fixed monitoring, and all mandatory public well being measures are in place,” it stated, including that “enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, and area investigations” had been undertaken.
The zoonotic Nipah virus, first recognized throughout a Nineteen Nineties outbreak in Malaysia, spreads by means of fruit bats, pigs and human-to-human contact.
There is no such thing as a vaccine to deal with the virus, which may trigger raging fevers, convulsions and vomiting. The one remedy is supportive care to manage issues and hold sufferers comfy.
The virus has an estimated loss of life charge of between 40-75 p.c, based on the World Well being Group, making it much more lethal than the coronavirus.
As India sought to assuage regional issues, a lot of Asian international locations introduced measures at airports and land crossings.
China stated it was strengthening illness prevention measures in border areas. State media reported that well being authorities had begun threat assessments and particular coaching for medical employees.
Indonesia and Thailand elevated screening at main airports, with well being declarations, temperature checks and visible monitoring for arriving passengers.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Well being suggested in opposition to nonessential journey to West Bengal and stated fever surveillance launched throughout the coronavirus pandemic at airports has been intensified.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Well being on Tuesday directed native authorities to extend monitoring at border crossings, well being amenities and communities, based on state media.
Equally, Malaysia’s Ministry of Well being stated it was introducing well being screening at worldwide ports of entry.
The first Nipah infection to have an effect on people was recorded in 1998, when pig farmers and butchers from Malaysia and Singapore contracted the virus from contaminated pigs, leading to greater than 100 deaths.
Since then, there have been outbreaks in Bangladesh, the Philippines and India. The Indian state of Kerala has reported Nipah instances nearly yearly since 2018.
