Why is the Nipah virus explosion in India scaring the world?

An explosion of the Nipah virus in India's eastern state of West Bengal has raised concerns in China and some Southeast Asian countries, causing them to tighten health control operations at airports, while millions of people prepare to travel for Lunar New Year's holiday.

Since December 2025, two confirmed cases The virus was reported in West Bengal, Said on Wednesday the India Ministry of Health.

The ministry did not provide details about infected persons, but noted that out of a total of 196 contacts related to confirmed cases, “all traceable contacts have been found astimmatically and have resulted in negative” for the virus.

The “Situate is under constant monitoring and all necessary public health measures must be taken, the ministry added.

A district health officer told Reuters that the two persons infected in West Bengal in late December were health workers. Both are being treated at a local hospital, the health officer said.

Is the virus's recent outbreak cause for concern?

Here's what we know:

What is the Nipah virus?

Virus Nipah ( NiV is a zootic virus a disease transmitted by animals like fruit bats and flying foxes to humans. It can also be transmitted to people through contaminated or direct food products from person to person.

The virus can be lethal. It is usually incubated in the human body for five to 14 days, with symptoms appearing within three to four days.

It causes serious respiratory and neurologic diseases in people, advancing from fever and headaches to acute encephalitis (mental inflammation) in serious cases, said Kaya Abbbas, associate professor of epidemiology and the dynamics of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and University.

Symptoms can also include concessions and mental confusion, and patients can fall into coma within 24 to 48 hours in serious cases.

The mortality scandal is high, between 40 and 75 percent, among people infected with the Nipah” virus, Abbas told Al Jazeera.

However, the basic number of virus reproduction, which is the expected number of secondary infections stemming from a primary case, is “typically under a”, he said. This suggests that the virus spread only in a limited way through human transmission to man, and there is a low likelihood that the virus will become a widespread pandemic.

Is there a vaccine for the virus?

By WHO currently has no treatment or vaccines available for people infected by the virus or animals that hold it.

Oxford University has conducted clinical trials in Bangladesh to test a vaccine against the Nipah virus and started: The second phase of testing in December 2025.

In the absence of approved vaccines, doctors have treated patients with antiviral drugs such as Ribavirin. By The United States government's Centres for Prevention and Control of Diseases (CDC) was used to treat a small number of patients in a Malaysian Nipah explosion, but its efficiency in treatment remains unclear.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that the Remdesivivir drug can also help prevent Nipah “when given to non-human primats exposed”.

The Indian State of Kerala used Remdesivivir during a 2023 explosion, which resulted in an improved mortality rate.

Which countries have announced increased control of the Nipah virus?

Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia have tightened all international controls at airports.

Thailand's health ministry told reporters it has assigned special parking lots for aircraft arriving from countries affected by Nipah and passengers have been asked to meet health declaration forms before immigration.

Termic scans have also been installed at the Suvarnabhum airport in Bangkok to control people for fever and other symptoms of the virus.

Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nepal have implemented similar measures at their international airports.

What is the best way to prevent the spread of this virus?

On Wednesday, Hong Kong daily The South China Morning Post, reported that the social media channels in China were filled with posts by people expressing concern over the outbreak of the virus in India.

The «is very scary, especially with the coming Spring Festival. I don't want to experience another» isolation, said one social media user.

“Couldn't we temporarily close the travel channel with India?” asked another user, according to SCMP.

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, reported that the country has not recorded any cases of the Nipah virus so far, but warned there may be risks of imported cases.

However, according to Abbas, the virus is not like the COVID-19 virus, which resulted in one year isolation worldwide since 2020.

He said that severe cases of the Nipah virus can be managed “through intensive supporting care”.

He added that in addition to health controls at airports, countries should focus on promoting measures to prevent the virus, such as good hygiene, proper ventilation, avoiding crowds, staying at home when you are sick, seeking timely medical advice, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to support immunity.

O The BSH has also provided guidelines for controlling the spread of the virus.

In particular, a 2018 report said that “requires lower access to bats in palm juice and other fresh food products”.

Keeping bats away from meeting sites with protective covers [such as the edges of bamboo juice] can be helpful. The juice of the cooled palm must be boiled, and the fruit must be washed and completely peeled before consumption. Fruits with bat bite marks must be dropped”, WHO reported.

He added that people should wear gloves and other protective clothing while dealing with sick animals or their tissues, as well as during slaughter and scrap procedures.

To control the spread of the virus in health care facilities, O The BSH said that “must use precautionary measures against contact and blood points except for standard precautions. In some cases, precautionary air-transmitted measures “may also be required.

“must avoid close physical contact vulnerable to persons infected with the Nipah virus. Regular washing of hands should be done after the care or visit of sick persons”, WHO added. /Periscope/