New Delhi, Jan 30: After India reported two cases of the Nipah virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said the risk of the virus spreading from the country is low and that it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions.
The clarification comes even as countries such as Thailand, Taiwan and Nepal have reintroduced Covid-style health screening measures following reports of the virus.
The Union Health Ministry said only two confirmed cases of Nipah virus disease have been reported in West Bengal since December last year, and all identified contacts linked to the cases have tested negative.
“It has been observed that speculative and incorrect figures regarding Nipah virus disease cases are being circulated in certain sections of the media. In this context, it is clarified that, as per reports received from the National Centre for Disease Control, only two confirmed cases have been reported from West Bengal from December last year till date,” the ministry said.
What is the Nipah virus?
Nipah is a rare but highly lethal zoonotic virus that is primarily transmitted from fruit bats to humans, with limited human-to-human transmission.
The infection can cause severe complications such as encephalitis, with fatality rates ranging between 45 and 75 percent in reported outbreaks. Experts note that while Nipah outbreaks occur almost annually in Bangladesh, there is no evidence that the virus is evolving into a highly transmissible human pathogen.
Nipah mainly affects animals such as bats, pigs, dogs and horses, but can infect humans through contact with infected animals or consumption of food contaminated by their bodily fluids. Transmission has also been linked to fruits or date palm sap contaminated by bats.
In humans, the virus typically presents with fever and inflammation of the brain and can be fatal. However, health experts stress that Nipah is not as transmissible as Covid-19 or influenza and is unlikely to cause large-scale infections in a short period.
