Nipah Virus Outbreak In India Spurs Asia-Wide Alert

In early February 2026, the Indian state of West Bengal found itself at the epicenter of a new outbreak of the Nipah virus—a disease notorious for its high mortality rate and potential to spread across borders. The news sent ripples across Asia, prompting countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and Nepal to swiftly tighten screening procedures at airports and border crossings, especially for travelers arriving from affected areas. According to reporting from BBC, Thailand and Nepal began testing passengers from West Bengal at both airports and land border points, underscoring the seriousness with which regional authorities are treating the threat.

The Nipah virus is not a household name in much of the world, but in public health circles, it’s a cause for considerable anxiety. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Nipah as one of its top 10 priority diseases due to its epidemic potential. As The Conversation notes, the virus is a member of the henipavirus family, closely related to the Hendra virus, and can infect humans through several routes. Most commonly, people contract it through direct contact with infected animals—especially fruit bats, which are considered the natural reservoir—or pigs. The virus can also be transmitted by consuming food or drink contaminated with the bodily fluids of infected bats, with raw date palm sap being a particularly well-documented vehicle for spillover. Human-to-human transmission is possible, but as the World Health Organization and experts like Professor Jemma Geoghegan of the University of Otago have explained to 1News, this pathway requires close contact with bodily fluids and is considered relatively inefficient compared to other routes.

The outbreak in West Bengal was first identified after two deaths were reported in February 2026, both involving healthcare workers. India’s health ministry confirmed that 196 contacts had been traced and tested following these cases. The situation has led not only to heightened vigilance in neighboring countries but also to updated travel advisories. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, for example, issued fresh guidance for travelers to India, recommending strict hand hygiene, avoidance of contact with bats and sick pigs, and steering clear of raw date palm sap. Their advice, echoed by health authorities in Guernsey and the UK, is clear: people who become ill after visiting affected areas should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare providers of their travel history.

Symptoms of Nipah virus infection can manifest anywhere from four days to three weeks after exposure, and the progression can be alarmingly rapid. According to BBC and 1News, early signs include fever, severe headaches, and breathing difficulties. As the disease advances, patients may experience seizures, loss of consciousness, and neurological symptoms such as jerky movements or sudden behavioral changes, including psychosis. The most severe complication is encephalitis—an inflammation of the brain—which accounts for the virus’s staggering fatality rate, estimated by the WHO and Jang to range from 40% to 75%. Survivors are not necessarily out of the woods, either; there have been documented cases of relapsed encephalitis occurring years after the initial infection.

Despite the alarming statistics, experts urge perspective. Professor Allen Cheng, an infectious disease specialist at Monash University, wrote in The Conversation that, while Nipah is a serious disease with no current vaccine and only experimental treatments in the pipeline, it is unlikely to become a global public health crisis on the scale of COVID-19. The primary reason? Human-to-human transmission is relatively inefficient. "You have to have really direct contact with people who are infected. Being infected with their bodily fluids, for example. That is quite rare. And so outside of the countries where there have been reported cases, it is extremely low risk for us to be infected in New Zealand," Professor Geoghegan told 1News.

Nevertheless, the absence of a vaccine or widely available treatment keeps public health officials on edge. The only promising therapy on the horizon is a monoclonal antibody called m102.4, currently under development in Australia. A phase 1 trial published in 2020 found the treatment to be well tolerated in healthy volunteers, but as Professor Cheng cautions, it remains years away from routine clinical use. In the meantime, the best defense remains prevention—avoiding exposure to bats and pigs, consuming only cooked or thoroughly washed foods, and adhering to strict hygiene practices.

The international response to the West Bengal outbreak has been swift and coordinated. Airports in Thailand and Nepal now screen travelers from India, while Malaysia, Singapore, and Pakistan have introduced new testing and monitoring protocols. The UK Health Security Agency, which received funding in 2022 to develop the first UK model for Nipah testing, continues to study the virus and monitor global developments. In Guernsey, authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation but reassure travelers that the risk remains very low if standard precautions are followed.

For those in affected regions, the advice is practical and clear. As detailed by the New Zealand government’s Safetravel website, individuals should wash hands regularly, avoid areas where bats roost, steer clear of raw date palm sap and fruits that could be contaminated by bats, and refrain from contact with the blood or body fluids of anyone suspected of having Nipah. Food should be fully cooked, and fruits should be washed and peeled before consumption. If symptoms arise after visiting a known outbreak zone, prompt medical attention is critical.

As the world watches the situation in West Bengal, the broader lesson is one of vigilance. Outbreaks like this remind us of the ongoing risks posed by zoonotic diseases—those that jump from animals to humans—and the importance of robust public health systems, international cooperation, and clear communication. While the current Nipah outbreak is being met with decisive action and careful monitoring, the absence of a vaccine and the virus’s high fatality rate mean that health authorities cannot afford to be complacent. For now, the message is cautious optimism: with the right precautions, the risk to the general public remains low, but the need for continued surveillance and research is as urgent as ever.