The Nipah virus, a deadly and incurable disease, has recently been detected in India, prompting heightened health screening and containment efforts across the region. This virus, which primarily targets the lungs and brain, carries a high mortality rate exceeding 40 percent among infected patients, as reported by the World Health Organization and other health bodies. The virus was previously included in China's monitor list, and Chinese experts emphasize that its transmission capacity remains limited.
The outbreak was identified in West Bengal, near Kolkata, India's third-most populous city. This prompted urgent contact tracing and quarantines, with three new infections reported this week, according to officials cited by the Press Trust of India news agency. The virus is transmitted through contact with a patient's secretions or excreta, posing a risk of nosocomial infection and household spread, as warned by Feng Zijian, a former deputy director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite its high pathogenicity, the Nipah virus's limited transmission capacity is a cause for cautious optimism. Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based medical expert, cited previous sporadic regional outbreaks worldwide to support this claim. As a result, quarantine authorities are likely to strengthen measures for people entering China from India, according to Feng.
International disease control checkpoints at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Thailand have begun screening arriving passengers from West Bengal, India, following the outbreak. Phuket International Airport has also heightened its preparedness, integrating disease surveillance and screening measures for flights linked to the affected area. These measures aim to prevent potential transmission and ensure the safety of travelers and residents alike.
South Korea has previously designated Nipah virus infection as a first-tier infectious disease, a classification for the most dangerous outbreaks with a high fatality rate that require immediate reporting and isolation, according to the Korea Herald.
