NEW DELHI, Jan 28 — India is monitoring Nipah virus infections, with two cases reported in its eastern state of West Bengal since December, the Health Ministry said, as some Southeast Asian nations step up scrutiny of air travellers.
Yesterday’s confirmation came a day after Thailand said it had tightened airport screening measures, with neighbouring Malaysia following suit.
“Speculative and incorrect figures regarding Nipah virus cases are being circulated,” the Indian ministry warned in a statement.
Authorities have identified and traced 196 contacts linked to both cases, it added, with none showing symptoms and all testing negative for the virus.
Thailand has assigned designated parking bays for aircraft arriving from areas with Nipah outbreaks, its ministry said, while passengers must make health declarations before clearing immigration.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Health Ministry (MOH) said it is beefing up preparedness via health screening at international ports of entry, especially for arrivals from countries at risk.
“The ministry remains vigilant against the risk of cross-border transmission following sporadic infections in several other countries,” it said in a statement today.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which estimates Nipah’s fatality rate at 40 to 75 per cent, ranks it as a priority pathogen for its potential to trigger an epidemic. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment to cure it.
