WHO addresses outbreak of deadly virus with no cure that's forced Covid-style checks at airports
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued an update following a virus outbreak in Asia with 'pandemic potential' and a mortality rate of up to 75 percent.
There has been two confirmed cases of the Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, with a number of countries introducing COVID-style screening at borders and at airports.
Because the bat-borne pathogen currently has no cure, the likes of India, Thailand, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Vietnam have taken measures to help screen for the virus.
With a mortality rate of 40 to 75 percent, symptoms typically include high fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat.
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In more serious cases, this can be followed by 'dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis', the WHO said.
"Some people can also experience atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including acute respiratory distress," they warned.
"Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours."
In an update, the WHO has provided more information on the two confirmed cases.
"Both individuals are 25-year-old nurses – a woman and a man – working at the same private hospital in Barasat, located in North 24 Parganas district," the health organisation said.
"They developed initial symptoms in the last week of December 2025, which progressed rapidly to neurological complications."
In a previous statement, the WHO noted that 'there is no evidence of increased human-to-human transmission' at this time.
India's health service also said that the 196 people who were in contact with the two nurses tested negative for the virus. The incubation period ranges from four to 14 days.
Nipah virus was first identified around 1998 during a severe outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore, where pigs acted as the intermediate host.
Bangladesh has experienced almost annual outbreaks since 2001, mainly due to the consumption of contaminated date palm sap.
India, meanwhile, has reported repeated outbreaks in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, then in Kerala from 2018, with several fatalities. Sporadic cases have also occurred in the Philippines.
In total, 754 human cases have been reported with 435 deaths globally, according to a 2024 study published in Science Direct.
It comes after Professor Brian Angus, Chief Investigator of the Nipah vaccine trial at the Oxford Vaccine Group, told LADbible that trials are now underway for their 'Nipah vaccine candidate'.
"There are currently no specific medications or licensed vaccines to protect against or treat a Nipah virus infection, and so a future vaccine candidate is a crucial step forward in pandemic preparedness," he explained, adding that 'phase two' trials are currently underway in Bangladesh.
Topics: Health, News, World News
Anish Vij