Two cases of the deadly Nipah virus in India have prompted authorities in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia to step up airport screening in an effort to prevent the infection from spreading.
The virus, which is carried by fruit bats and animals, can cause fever and brain inflammation and has a fatality rate of between 40 and 75 per cent. Although it can spread from person to person, transmission is not easy and typically requires prolonged contact with an infected individual.
It more commonly spreads to humans from infected bats, or fruit contaminated by them.
The infections were confirmed in India in late December. Small-scale outbreaks are not unusual and virologists said the risk to the general population remained low. Several vaccines are in development but are still undergoing testing.
“While vigilance is warranted, there is no evidence to suggest a broader public health threat at this stage,” said Efstathios Giotis, lecturer in molecular virology at the University of Essex in Britain.
The two people infected in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal in late December were health workers and both are under treatment at a local hospital, a district health officer said.
Authorities have identified and traced 196 contacts linked to the two cases with none showing symptoms and all testing negative for the virus, the Indian health ministry.
“Speculative and incorrect figures regarding Nipah virus disease cases are being circulated,” the statement said. “Enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, and field investigations were undertaken ... which ensured timely containment of the cases.”
Reports of the infections put authorities on alert in neighbouring Southeast Asian nations as well as Nepal and Hong Kong.
China’s disease control authority said on Tuesday that no Nipah infections had been detected in the country but there were risks of imported cases, state broadcaster CCTV said.
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