Only two cases – but the Nipah virus is deadly: Depending on the source, it is said to have a mortality rate of up to 92 percent. How is India reacting and why is this causing alarm in other parts of Asia?
January 28, 2026, 10:39January 28, 2026, 11:11 am
Two new Nipah virus infections have been reported in India.Image: AP
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 said, citing the state Center for Disease Control. Reports circulating about further cases of infection are false. In response to the two cases of infection, surveillance, laboratory tests and on-site investigations were increased.
Controls in Thailand
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, said Health Minister Pattana Promphat. The temperature measurements would be taken at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in the capital Bangkok and on Phuket.
Health officials screening passengers of international flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand.Image: EPA THE SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT OFF
1,700 passengers had been tested by Tuesday – 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.
Rare viral disease
According to the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, the Nipah virus infection is a rare but serious viral disease that can affect both people and animals. Accordingly, the virus occurs naturally in flying foxes, but can also be transmitted to other animals and to humans. “In humans it can have a mortality rate of up to 92 percent.” Transmission from person to person is possible through close contact through respiratory droplets, coughing or sneezing. An infection can be symptomless 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 that is contaminated with bat droppings. Isolated Nipah outbreaks have occurred again and again in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, outbreaks have been reported in Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, since 1998.
In West Bengal, two people who worked together in a private hospital about 25 kilometers north of Kolkata in December are now affected, said an official from the Union state’s health authority. It is suspected that the virus could have been transmitted from an untested patient who died. According to reports from the Indian broadcaster NDTV, the infected people are two nurses. They are currently being treated in a hospital.
What is it like in other countries in Asia?
In Japan, health authorities called for vigilance. Thermal scanners are 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, the state media is disseminating official information that the virus outbreak in India currently poses no particular danger to the country. At the same time, increased vigilance was also called for, especially for travelers from affected regions. Concerns were also raised on social networks as the big wave of travel for Chinese New Year is approaching in mid-February. (sda/dpa)