Several Asian countries have introduced checks at airports for the virus that infected a handful of people in West Bengal
A small outbreak of the Nipah virus at a private hospital in the Indian state of West Bengal has sparked a wave of media panic and precautionary screening at several Asian airports. This is despite local health authorities saying the situation is under control and there is minimal risk of widespread transmission.
The zoonotic disease, of which minor cases are registered annually in Asia, is known to have a very high mortality rate but is not as contagious as some recent pathogens such as Covid-19.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest Nipah scare.
What is Nipah virus?
Nipah virus (NiV) is a rare zoonotic disease originating from bats that has a high mortality rate, between 40% and 75%, with no available vaccines or drugs to treat it. The incubation period ranges from four to 14 days, with patients showing a wide range of symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting and sore throat. Some cases are asymptomatic. In severe cases, patients may suffer from drowsiness, impaired consciousness, pneumonia and, rarely, encephalitis.
However, the virus poses a limited risk of transmission because it requires direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated food. A senior Thai health official also noted that unlike COVID-19, “Infected people who have not yet developed symptoms cannot spread the virus during the incubation period, so the risk to passengers on the same flight is very low.”
The latest outbreak
As many as five health workers were reported to have fallen ill earlier this month at the Narayana Multispeciality Hospital in Barasat village in Kolkata city. Local officials have so far confirmed only two cases, with one nurse said to be in critical condition. The investigation suggests that healthcare workers became infected while treating a patient who later died.
Local health officials emphasize that the outbreak was under control “contact tracing, quarantine and testing were done correctly,” and that “The earlier panic has subsided. Nearly 190 contacts associated with confirmed cases have also been identified and quarantined.
International response
Neighboring countries nevertheless began to implement precautionary measures, while media reports escalated concerns about the virus and numerous news outlets identified the epidemic as a major threat.
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health said it had screened more than 1,700 passengers arriving from Kolkata at three major airports, finding no infection. Nepal has also stepped up checks at its international airport and land borders, while Taiwanese health authorities have proposed classifying Nipah as a top-priority notifiable disease.
Russian authorities said they are closely monitoring the situation and have not yet found any cases indicating low transmissibility of the virus.
Past outbreaks
Past outbreaks of the virus have followed a similar pattern of successful local containment, underscoring its high lethality but low transmissibility. The virus was first identified in 1998 in Malaysia, where an outbreak among pig farmers caused 265 cases. Since then, however, all human outbreaks have been confined to small clusters in parts of Asia.
For example, the Indian state of Kerala has experienced nine separate outbreaks since 2018, but each was quickly contained with strict contact tracing and movement restrictions in designated zones, often limiting cases to less than half a dozen.
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