Nipah Virus Outbreak In India LIVE Updates: 5 Infected, Up to 75% Fatality Rate - Asia Airports On High Alert Ahead of Lunar New Year

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health has elevated health screening and control measures at all airports, seaports, and land crossings following concerns over potential Nipah virus exposure. Based on past Nipah outbreaks and established containment playbooks, heightened controls are likely to persist for two to four weeks with rolling adjustments. While Nipah carries high fatality rates historically, transmission requires close contact, limiting widespread spread. The primary impacts are operational delays, regulatory compliance burdens, and reputational risks for travel- and trade-facing sectors rather than systemic disruption.

In an exclusive interaction with TheHealthSite.com, Dr. Bharath Kumar Surisetti, Consultant Neurologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, says - : "Humans contract the Nipah virus when it enters through their respiratory system or when they consume infected food. The virus first infects cells in the mouth, throat, or lungs, where it begins to replicate. Nipah virus uses its surface proteins to bind with ephrin-B2 and ephrin-B3 receptors which exist throughout human cells but are found in highest concentration on blood vessel lining cells. After the virus completes its initial replication process, it starts spreading through the bloodstream which enables its distribution throughout various body parts."

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A joint research by Chinese scientists has recently found that the oral nucleoside drug VV116, approved for the treatment of COVID-19, shows significant antiviral activity against Nipah virus, bringing new hope for the prevention and treatment of this emerging fatal infectious disease, according to a statement released on Monday by the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Nipah virus is associated with a high death rate, with fatality levels reported between 40 and 75 per cent depending on the outbreak and the viral strain involved. Survivors may experience long-term neurological effects, such as persistent seizures or changes in personality, according to the UK Health Security Agency’s update.

Thailand began screening passengers arriving from West Bengal at three international airports in Bangkok and Phuket from Sunday (January 25). Passengers at the Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket airports are being monitored for fever and symptoms associated with the virus.

Meanwhile, Nepal has also begun screening people arriving through the airport in Kathmandu and other land border points with India. To strengthen surveillance, health desks have been set up to screen travellers for symptoms, and hospitals and border health facilities have been told to report and manage any suspicious cases.

Taiwan, on the other hand, has proposed to list the Nipah virus as a Category 5 disease’. In the island’s disease classification system, Category 5 includes emerging or rare infections that present significant public health risks and call for immediate reporting and special controls.

With Kerala and West Bengal continuing to be identified as endemic regions for Nipah virus, experts say vigilance, not fear is the need of the hour. Early recognition, strict hospital infection control, and adherence to established protocols remain the most effective tools to contain a virus that, while rare, carries an exceptionally high risk.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday clarified that the Nipah virus situation in West Bengal is under control, with only two confirmed cases reported since December last year, even as Thailand and Nepal tightened health screening of passengers arriving from India as a precautionary measure.

While the virus has no approved treatment, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology have found that VV116 – an oral antiviral drug originally developed to treat Covid-19 – allowed two-thirds of infected hamsters to survive a dose that would otherwise prove lethal.

“This finding is the first to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of VV116 against Nipah virus,” the institute said.

A total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have been identified, traced, monitored, and tested. All traced contacts have been found asymptomatic and have tested negative

In Thailand, the ministry of public health has stepped up health screening at major airports for passengers arriving from West Bengal, using techniques that became established during the Covid-19 pandemic.