NEW DELHI: Indian authorities said they had contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, as several Asian countries tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travelers arriving from India.
India’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that two Nipah cases had been detected since December and that all identified contacts had been quarantined and tested. The ministry did not release details about the patients but said 196 contacts had been traced and all tested negative.
“The situation is under constant monitoring, and all necessary public health measures are in place,” the ministry said.
Nipah, a zoonotic virus first identified during a 1990s outbreak in Malaysia, spreads through fruit bats, pigs and human-to-human contact. There is no vaccine for the virus, which can cause raging fevers, convulsions and vomiting. The only treatment is supportive care to control complications and keep patients comfortable.
The virus has an estimated fatality rate of between 40 percent and 75 percent, according to the WHO, making it far more deadly than the coronavirus.
There were no reported cases of the virus outside India, but several Asian countries introduced or reinforced screening measures at airports as a precaution. The safety measures were put in place after early media reports from India suggested a surge in cases, but health authorities said those figures were “speculative and incorrect.”
Indonesia and Thailand increased screening at major airports, with health declarations, temperature checks and visual monitoring for arriving passengers. Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said thermal scanners had been installed at arrival gates for direct flights from West Bengal at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Myanmar’s Health Ministry advised against nonessential travel to West Bengal and urged travelers to seek immediate medical care if symptoms develop within 14 days of travel. It said fever surveillance introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic at airports has been intensified for passengers arriving from India, with laboratory testing capacity and medical supplies readied.
Vietnam’s Health Ministry on Tuesday urged strict food safety practices and directed local authorities to increase monitoring at border crossings, health facilities and communities, according to state media.
China said it was strengthening disease prevention measures in border areas. State media reported that health authorities had begun risk assessments and enhanced training for medical staff, while increasing monitoring and testing capabilities.
Earlier Nipah outbreaks were reported in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, while recent cases have largely been detected in southern Kerala state. A major outbreak in 2018 killed at least 17 people in Kerala.