Nipah virus: Some Asia airports screen passengers after outbreak in India

An outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal state has sparked concern in parts of Asia, with some tightening screening measures at airports.

Thailand has started screening passengers at three airports that receive flights from West Bengal. Nepal has also begun screening arrivals at Kathmandu airport and other land border points with India.

Five healthcare workers in West Bengal were infected by the virus early this month, one of whom is in a critical condition. Some 110 people who were in contact with them have been quarantined.

The virus can spread from animals to humans. It has a high death range – ranging from 40% to 75% – as there is no vaccine or medicine to treat it.

The Nipah virus can be transmitted from animals, like pigs and fruit bats, to humans. It can also spread person-to-person through contaminated food.

The World Health Organization has described Nipah in its top ten priority diseases, along with pathogens like Covid-19 and Zika, because of its potential to trigger an epidemic.

The incubation period ranges from four to 14 days.

People who contract the virus show a wide range of symptoms, or sometimes, none at all.

Initial symptoms may include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and sore throat. In some people, these may be followed by drowsiness, altered consciousness, and pneumonia.

Encephalitis, a sometimes-fatal condition that causes inflammation of the brain, may occur in severe cases.

To date, no drugs of vaccines have been approved to treat the disease.

The first recognised Nipah outbreak was in 1998 among pig farmers in Malaysia and later spread to neighbouring Singapore. The virus got its name from the village where it was first discovered.

More than 100 people were killed and a million pigs culled in an effort to contain the virus. It also resulted in significant economic losses for farmers and those in the livestock trade.

Bangladesh has borne the brunt in recent years, with more than 100 people dying of Nipah since 2001.

The virus has also been detected in India. Outbreaks were reported in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007.

More recently, the southern state of Kerala has been a Nipah hotspot. In 2018, 19 cases were reported of which 17 were fatal; and in 2023, two out of six confirmed cases later died.

At least five confirmed cases were reported as of last week, all of whom were linked to a private hospital in Barasat. Two nurses are being treated in an intensive coronary care unit, one of whom remains in “very critical” condition, local media reported citing the state’s health department.

No cases have yet been reported outside India, but several countries are stepping up precautions.

On Sunday, Thailand started screening passengers at three international airports in Bangkok and Phuket that receive flights from West Bengal. Passengers from these flights have been asked to make health declarations.

The parks and wildlife department has also implemented stricter screenings in natural tourist attractions.

Jurai Wongswasdi, a spokeswoman for the Department for Disease Control, told BBC Thai authorities are “fairly confident” about guarding against an outbreak in Thailand.

Nepal, too, has begun screening people arriving through the airport in Kathmandu and other land border points with India.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Taiwan have proposed to list the Nipah virus as a “Category 5 disease”. Under the island’s system, diseases classified as Category 5 are emerging or rare infections with major public health risks, that require immediate reporting and special control measures.

Additional reporting by BBC Thai