The Indian government on Tuesday clarified that there were only two confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection in eastern West Bengal state.
The Indian Ministry of Family and Welfare sought to tamp down panic, as reports about airport screenings across Asian countries began to emerge.
Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan said in recent days they were carrying out screening procedures at airports for travellers from West Bengal.
Hong Kong issued a press release on Monday and said it asked for information from Indian health authorities while carrying out screenings of travellers from West Bengal.
What to know about Nipah virus infections in West Bengal
The Indian government said only two cases were positive since cases were brought to attention in December. Preliminary reports suggested there were five cases in the Indian state, but the issue was clarified due to test results, authorities said.
It can take between four and 21 days after exposure for symptoms of a Nipah virus infection to develop.
A total of 196 contacts related to the confirmed cases were quarantined this time, and they were primarily health workers or family members of people affected.
India’s ANI news agency reported that India’s southern Kerala state has tackled nine outbreaks of the virus between 2018 and 2025.
In 2018, over a dozen people died from the virus, and in 2021, a young boy died, raising alarm among health officials at the time.
What is Nipah virus?
Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can be spread from animals to humans.
It was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore. Though Nipah is most common in fruit bats, the virus can infect other animals like pigs, dogs, goats, horses and sheep as well.
Humans can pick up infection from animals either directly with an infected animal and their secretions, though many human infections result from the consumption of fruits or fruit products (like raw or partially fermented date palm juice) contaminated with saliva or biological waste of infected fruit bats, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The infection can also spread human-to-human through close contact with an infected person or their body fluids.
There is no vaccine for the virus, which can cause fevers, convulsions and vomiting. The only treatment is supportive care to control complications and keep patients comfortable. (DW)