Asian countries ramp up health screenings as India confirms Nipah cases
The major airports requiring health checks amid virus fears
- Authorities across Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia have implemented urgent screening measures, including airport temperature checks, to prevent the spread of the highly lethal Nipah virus from India.
- The World Health Organization classifies Nipah as a priority pathogen due to its 40-75% fatality rate and the absence of an approved vaccine or cure.
- Two health workers in West Bengal, India, were confirmed to have Nipah in late December, prompting enhanced surveillance and contact tracing efforts by Indian health authorities.
- The virus, carried by fruit bats and animals like pigs, can cause deadly brain-swelling fever in humans and is transmissible person-to-person through close contact.
- Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia added enhanced health screening measures at airports, while Nepal ramped up border screening for travelers and Thailand assigned designated parking bays for planes carrying people from the infection area, in addition to passenger health screenings.