Nipah scare: These Asian airports revive Covid-era screenings after outbreak in West Bengal— What you need to know

Nipah scare has prompted airports across parts of Asia to reintroduce Covid-style health checks. In West Bengal, an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV), possibly spread from animals to humans, has occurred. It was initially detected among health workers. After two confirmed cases surfaced in West Bengal, Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan have ramped up airport screening for travellers.

Thailand's three airports with connecting flights to West Bengal have begun screening for the Nipah virus, BBC reported. Nepal also upped its safety checks for arrivals at Kathmandu airport and other land border points with India. This fatal virus, which has no vaccine or medicine to treat it, causes death among 40% to 75% infected persons.

The virus is found in animals such as bats and pigs and spreads to humans through close contact.

AIIMS Bilaspur president Professor Dr Narendra Kumar Arora, on 26 January, described it as a highly infectious and fatal zoonotic disease. Asserting that it poses serious public health risks, the AIIMS doctor said, “Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease. These sporadic outbreaks have occurred in both Kerala and West Bengal. Even Bangladesh is endemic for the Nipah virus," ANI reported.

Suggesting that there is currently no vaccine available to treat the virus, he added, "Nipah virus is highly infectious and fatal. Patients either develop symptoms of encephalitis or severe respiratory disease. The mortality rate ranges between 40 and 75 per cent, which is very high." He said Kerala and West Bengal are endemic for this virus.

If any Nipah virus case is diagnosed, the patient must be given monoclonal antibodies as soon as possible, Dr Arora said. However, there is a very limited supply of these monoclonal antibodies globally.

Symptoms of Nipah infection

According to Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, ex-President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell Kerala, the early symptoms of Nipah infection are fever, body ache and headache.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "People who develop brain infection after that (initial symptoms), they may get seizures or epilepsy, confusion, paralysis or coma. The symptoms are similar to those of other types of brain infection caused by other viruses. Sometimes a diagnosis of Nipah can be missed because it is not specifically tested for. The problem with Nipah is that it can also spread from patient to patient. So it's extremely important to identify the first patient who develops the infection."

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a release on Monday regarding speculative and incorrect figures regarding NiVD cases. Rejecting claims of five Nipah cases, the Union Ministry said that only two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus Disease have been reported from West Bengal from December last year to date, citing reports received from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).