Two Nipah infections involving health workers in India have triggered heightened screening across Southeast Asia as authorities move to prevent the high fatality virus from spreading beyond the country.
India confirmed two cases in West Bengal in late December. Both patients are health workers who remain under treatment in hospital. Officials have traced 196 contacts linked to the infections, with all testing negative. The health ministry dismissed circulating figures as speculative and said enhanced surveillance and field work supported rapid containment.
Experts said such small scale outbreaks are not unusual and that the wider public risk remains low. Several vaccine candidates are being tested but none are licensed. Efstathios Giotis, lecturer in molecular virology at the University of Essex, said there was no evidence of a broader threat at this stage.
Reports from India prompted immediate responses in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, alongside alerts in Nepal and China. Nipah is carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs and can cause brain inflammation and respiratory distress. Fatality can reach 40% to 75%. Human transmission is possible but usually requires close and prolonged contact.
Singapore will introduce temperature screening for arrivals from affected areas in India and increase monitoring of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia. Hong Kong airport authorities said they were facilitating enhanced gate side checks for passengers travelling from India.
Thailand has designated specific parking bays for aircraft arriving from areas with confirmed infections and requires health declarations from passengers. Malaysia strengthened screening at ports of entry for travellers from countries considered at risk. Nepal said it was on high alert at border crossings. China reported no cases but warned about possible imported infections.
Nipah is a rare but severe infection that spreads mainly from fruit bats to humans. It can be asymptomatic, but the WHO says the fatality rate can reach 40% to 75%. Human transmission occurs but is limited and usually linked to close and prolonged contact. No licensed vaccines or treatments exist.
The virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. Small outbreaks have since been reported almost every year, mostly in Bangladesh, with India recording sporadic cases. CEPI says 750 infections and 415 deaths have been logged globally.
Most infections stem from contaminated fruit or fruit products exposed to bat saliva or urine, while earlier outbreaks involved contact with sick pigs. Transmission between people has been found among families and caregivers.
Symptoms begin with fever, headaches and muscle pain before some patients develop encephalitis or severe respiratory distress. Seizures and coma can follow in advanced cases. Most people recover fully, though some face long term neurological effects.
Scientists say Nipah remains a regional health concern but has not shown signs of becoming easily transmissible among humans. A vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University is now in phase II trials in Bangladesh with CEPI funding.
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