Nipah outbreak in India triggers Thailand to ramp up airport monitoring PHOTO

Thailand has intensified health monitoring at major airports following a Nipah virus outbreak in India, screening approximately 1,700 incoming passengers with no infections detected so far.

The Ministry of Public Health said the measures targeted travellers arriving from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, the outbreak’s epicentre, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Most of these passengers entered Thailand through Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket airports.

India recently reported a new cluster in Kolkata, West Bengal’s capital, with the health ministry confirming two cases since December, both among healthcare workers. Up to 196 identified contacts have tested negative for the virus, the ministry added.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister Phatthana Phromphat said the enhanced measures were implemented following instructions from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, with airport screening teams deployed late last week.

Health officials expressed that they are “fairly confident” the measures are sufficient to prevent an outbreak. 

“If there’s a suspected case at an airport, the person will be quarantined, and the results of a relevant test will be known in eight hours,” the minister explained, noting that the likelihood of transmission to fellow passengers on the same flight is very low.

Nepal, another neighbour of India, has also introduced screening for arrivals at Kathmandu airport and checks at land border crossings.

Nipah was first detected in Southeast Asia after outbreaks in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999. The infections were largely linked to pig farm workers and those in close contact with livestock. 

The World Health Organisation has listed Nipah among its top ten priority diseases, alongside pathogens such as COVID-19 and Zika, due to its potential to cause an epidemic.

Infected individuals can exhibit a wide range of symptoms, and in some cases, none at all. Early signs may include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, which in some patients can progress to drowsiness, altered consciousness, and pneumonia.

Currently, there are no approved drugs or vaccines for treating the disease.

By Jeyhun Aghazada