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There have been cases of the Nipah virus in India in the past.
EPA/Prakash Elamakkara (Archivbild)
Only two cases have occurred in India, but the Nipah virus is deadly: what you need to know about the virus - and how Asia is responding to the outbreak.
India has reported two new infections with the dangerous Nipah virus. Since December, there have been "only" two confirmed cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, the Ministry of Health announced, citing the state's Center for Disease Control.
Circulating reports of further cases of infection are false. In response to the two cases of infection, surveillance, laboratory tests and on-site investigations have been stepped up.
Other Asian countries responded to the localized outbreak in India with increased precautionary measures.
In Thailand, travelers from Kolkata - the capital of the state of West Bengal - have been checked at three major airports since the weekend, announced Health Minister Pattana Promphat. The temperature measurements were taken at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in the capital Bangkok and on Phuket.
By Tuesday, 1700 passengers had been tested - all tests were negative. There is no reason to panic, the minister emphasized. The virus is much more difficult to transmit from person to person than the coronavirus.
According to the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, the Nipah virus infection is a rather rare but serious viral disease that can affect both humans and animals. The virus occurs naturally in fruit bats, but can also be transmitted to other animals and humans. "In humans, it can reach a mortality rate of up to 92 percent."
Transmission from person to person is possible through close contact via respiratory droplets, coughing or sneezing. An infection can be asymptomatic or mild. However, acute respiratory diseases and fatal inflammation of the brain are also possible.
According to the institute, the viruses can also be transmitted by eating undercooked pork or other animal products or by drinking raw date palm sap or other tree sap contaminated with bat droppings.
There have been isolated outbreaks of Nipah in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, outbreaks have been reported in Asia since 1998, including India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
In West Bengal, two people who had worked together in a private hospital about 25 kilometers north of Kolkata in December were now affected, said an official of the union state's health department.
It is suspected that the virus could have been transmitted from an untested patient who died. According to reports by the Indian broadcaster NDTV, the infected persons are two nurses. They are currently being treated in a hospital.
In Japan, the health authorities have called for vigilance. Thermal scanners are being used at airports, and travelers from affected regions with symptoms such as fever or breathing difficulties must expect to be questioned by the quarantine service.
In China, state media are disseminating information from the authorities stating that the virus outbreak in India does not currently pose a particular threat to the country. At the same time, increased vigilance was also called for, especially for travelers from affected regions. Concerns have also been raised on social networks, as the big wave of travel for the Chinese New Year in mid-February is imminent.
28.01.2026, 23:28
