New Delhi Jan 27 (KINS): As cases of the Nipah virus (NiV) emerge in West Bengal, India, countries in the region are reviving public health measures at international airports to prevent the disease’s spread beyond India’s borders. Although only 2 cases have been confirmed in the state and a total of 5 suspected so far, the last few weeks have seen stringent measures against a possible Nipah virus outbreak especially in the neighbouring state of Odisha and in Kerala (where the disease is considered to be an endemic). Nipah is a zoonotic pathogen naturally carried by fruit bats and capable of transmission through contaminated food, animals, and close person-to-person contact. The virus can lead to severe respiratory illness and acute encephalitis, and has a historically high case-fatality rate ranging from about 40 % to 75 % depending on the outbreak and local health-care capacity.

Unlike Covid-19, which spreads readily via airborne droplets among broad populations and led to large-scale global spread, Nipah’s transmission is more limited and linked to direct contact with infected sources. Still, the disease’s severity and absence of a widely available vaccine or specific treatment spur cautious surveillance by international health authorities.