More countries are implementing screening measures, while others are tightening the ones they already have in place after a deadly bat-borne virus was detected in humans.
India has so far confirmed two cases of Nipah virus, a rare disease that can be caught from contact with an infected person or by consuming food or drink contaminated with the feces, urine or saliva of infected fruit bats.
The cases are in two nurses, though local media report that three additional patients, a doctor, nurse and another staff member also had symptoms.
On Thursday, Pakistan became the latest country to order enhanced screening of people entering the country to look for signs of Nipah virus.
Thailand, Singapore, Hong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam have all also implemented enhanced screening procedures at airports, and the UK has warned travelers about the potential outbreak.
In the US, CDC officials told the Daily Mail they were in ‘close contact’ with authorities on the ground to assess the situation.
A spokesman said: ‘CDC is monitoring the situation and stands ready to assist as needed.’
Nipah virus has never been detected in the US, but experts fear it could reach the country if someone who is infected travels to America and told Daily Mail the virus poses a ‘real’ risk.
Airport health authorities wearing protective masks monitor passengers from international flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, this week
Staff members install a sign reading ‘Nipah isolation ward, entry strictly prohibited’ at a hospital where a ward is being prepared for suspected Nipah virus patients in Kozhikode district, Kerala, India, during a suspected outbreak in 2023
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Dr Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases expert in Texas who previously worked at the World Health Organization (WHO), told the Daily Mail that a Nipah virus outbreak was ‘absolutely’ something that the CDC should be ‘closely monitoring,’ though the current risk was low.
She said: ‘Nipah virus is a high-consequence pathogen, and even small, apparently contained outbreaks warrant careful surveillance, information sharing, and preparedness.
‘Outbreaks like this also underscore the importance of strong relationships with global partners, particularly the WHO, [which] plays a central role in coordinating outbreak response and sharing timely, on-the-ground information.’
The US completed its official withdrawal from the WHO last week.
President Donald Trump gave notice through an executive order on the first day of his second term that America would be leaving the global health agency, something he originally proposed his first term.
Kuppalli added: ‘The US risk is best described as real but small and would primarily involve the possibility of an imported case in a traveler, particularly someone with high-risk exposures or healthcare-related contact.’
The virus patients in India reportedly became infected after treating a patient at the hospital who had a respiratory disease. The first infected individual died before they could be tested for the virus.
They work at a hospital around 15 miles outside Kolkata, West Bengal, India’s third-largest metropolitan area and home to 16 million people.
India’s health ministry revealed Wednesday that 196 people who came into contact with infected patients are now being monitored for the virus, which can spread from person-to-person and kills 40 to 75 percent of those it infects.
Security personnel patrol near a deserted Kozhikode, India, beach after restrictions were imposed to prevent the spread of Nipah virus in 2023
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This is 86 more individuals than the prior day, though officials said none were showing symptoms and all had tested negative for the virus thus far.
Officials added that there is no sign of a larger outbreak at the time.
However, it can take days to weeks for symptoms to appear.
Indian health officials told Reuters one of the patients is recovering and will likely be discharged from the hospital soon. The other is still in critical condition, with previous reporting saying she was in a coma.
A federal health ministry official told the outlet, speaking on the condition of anonymity: ‘There is no outbreak, there were just two cases in one district in [West] Bengal and there is no spread. There is no consideration for screening at airports in India because there appears to be no need for it.’
In implementing screening measures, Pakistan’s Border Health Services department said in a statement: ‘It has become imperative to strengthen preventative and surveillance measures at Pakistan’s borders.
‘All travelers shall undergo thermal screening and clinical assessment at the Point of Entry,’ which includes seaports, land borders and airports.
Travelers entering the country must provide travel history for the previous 21 days to check if they have been through ‘Nipah-affected or high-risk regions.’
In Singapore, the country’s Communicable Diseases Agency said on Wednesday that it will set up temperature screening at its airport for flights arriving from areas affected by the infections in India.
Vietnamese officials ordered the screening of incoming passengers at some international border crossings, particularly those arriving from India, and they will be checked with body temperature scanners.
In Hong Kong, an airport authority spokesman said it was facilitating enhanced health screening measures, including a temperature check at gates for passengers arriving from India.
An ambulance is parked outside of the medical clinic at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand this month as the country tightened health screening after cases of Nipah virus were confirmed in India
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Earlier this week, Thailand tightened its airport screenings, requiring passengers arriving from India to complete health declarations.
Malaysia’s public health ministry also said it was boosting health screenings at airports, particularly for arrivals from countries deemed ‘at risk’.
Thai health officials monitoring the body temperatures of international flight passengers after they arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan province this month as a precaution against Nipah virus
In China, authorities said Tuesday that no Nipah virus cases had been detected in the country but that there was a risk of imported cases.
Nepal, which shares a 1,000-kilometer border with India, said it was on ‘high alert’ and had tightened screening of travelers.
Health ministry officials said border points with India and China had been notified to remain vigilant and check suspected cases.
The Philippines has also tightened checks at airports and implemented passenger screenings.
People with Nipah virus suffer symptoms including fever, headaches, vomiting and a sore throat within four to 21 days of infection. They can pass the disease to others via close contact.
After symptoms emerge, patients may then develop serious complications such as encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
There is no treatment for the disease, but several vaccines against the virus are currently in testing.
More than two million people traveled from India to the US in 2023 alone, the latest data suggests, which was up a quarter from the previous year.
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All of India is currently under a US Level 2 travel advisory, asking travelers to practice increased caution amid reports of crimes and terrorism. It has been in place since June last year and there is no mention of the virus.
In a statement, the CDC said: ‘As of January 27, 2026, two cases of Nipah virus infection have been confirmed, both in healthcare workers in West Bengal.
‘Indian health authorities have deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team. Coordination and additional activities are underway including laboratory support, enhanced surveillance, case management, infection prevention control (IPC) measures, and experts have been mobilized to ensure containment.’
It added: ‘CDC headquarters is in close contact with the CDC country office in India, which is closely engaged with national and local health authorities.
‘CDC is also in contact with the neighboring country of Bangladesh as they enhance surveillance and response readiness.’
