The confirmation of two cases of the deadly Nipah virus in India has triggered regional and global concern, prompting countries such as Thailand and Malaysia to tighten health screening measures at airports amid fears of potential cross-border transmission through international travel.
The renewed attention has raised questions about the nature of the virus and the level of threat it poses to global public health.
Nipah virus is a rare but highly dangerous zoonotic disease that is primarily transmitted from infected animals to humans.
Fruit bats are considered the virus’s main natural reservoir. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some infected individuals may remain asymptomatic, but the disease is often severe, with fatality rates ranging between 40% and 75%, depending largely on early detection and the quality of medical care available.
Although human-to-human transmission is possible, health experts and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) stress that such transmission does not occur easily and that outbreaks are typically limited in scale.
To date, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments, although several experimental vaccines are under development.
The Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. Since then, small outbreaks have been recorded almost annually, particularly in Bangladesh, with sporadic cases also reported in India.
Data from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) indicate that around 750 confirmed cases had been reported globally by December, resulting in 415 deaths, underscoring the virus’s high lethality despite its limited spread.
Reuters highlighted the virus in a 2023 investigative series titled “Bat Lands.”
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