Understand what Nipah is, a virus that worries Asia

The Nipah virus, which has a lethality rate of up to 75%, has worried authorities in Asian countries after being detected in India since December, leaving 100 people in quarantine for monitoring. The situation caused fear in China on the eve of the Lunar New Year – on February 17th – a period of intense movement of people, especially after the recent relaxation of visa rules between the 2 countries.

Beijing monitors the situation, but does not consider the situation alarming. On Tuesday (January 27, 2026), the Chinese government confirmed to the Poder360 that no cases of the Nipah virus were detected in the country, but that it is evaluating the possibility of including the infection in the February bulletin “Risk Assessment of Health Emergencies Requiring Attention”.

Concern in China increases due to the proximity of the Spring Festival – a period of 40 days close to the Lunar New Year – which involves a large number of movements and trips. This year, it falls in the period from February 2nd to March 13th. The central government estimates that more than 643 million people travel, by plane or train, within the country.

The recent cases were identified in West Bengal, an Indian state that borders Bangladesh, a country where almost annual outbreaks have been recorded since 2001. In 2026, the country’s health authorities published the “National Guidelines for Prevention, Control and Management” of the virus. Among the guidelines, the government recognized the seasonality of the pathogen in the country.

“In Bangladesh, Nipah cases are mainly detected from December to the end of April. During these months, communication with the hospital surveillance authority, hospital-level surveillance activities, transport and testing of samples are systematically strengthened”the document states. Read the (PDF, in English – 3 MB).

Thailand and Nepal have implemented it at their main airports. The Thai government department responsible for parks and wildlife has also stepped up screenings at natural tourist attractions.

The virus was first identified in 1999, during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia. The disease has also been detected periodically in eastern India.

CONTAGION

Nipah is transmitted from animals to humans through contaminated food or directly between people. The family fruit bats Pteropodidaemainly species of the genus Pteropusare the natural hosts of the virus, which can also infect other animals, such as pigs. Bats – which contaminate fruits with the virus through saliva or urine – can also transfer Nipah between themselves.

The main victims are people who have direct contact with infected animals, consume contaminated food or care for infected patients. During the first recognized outbreak in Malaysia, most human infections resulted from direct contact with sick pigs.

SYMPTOMS

Nipah’s case fatality rate ranges from 40% to 75%, depending on local epidemiological surveillance and clinical management capabilities.

The main symptoms of the infection are:

• fever;
• headaches;
• muscle pain;
• vomiting;
• sore throat;
• dizziness or drowsiness;
• altered consciousness.

Although the virus will have few registered cases in 2026, the possibility of spread in Asia is seen as a risk. In those infected, contagion can cause serious conditions, such as acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis (brain inflammation).

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), approximately 20% of patients who survive acute encephalitis develop permanent neurological sequelae, such as seizure disorders and personality changes. Virus incubation varies from 4 to 14 days, but periods of up to 45 days have been reported.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

There are no specific medicines or vaccines for the virus infection, although the WHO identified Nipah as a priority disease for research and development in its 2018 annual review.

The main recommended prevention measures:

• sanitization of hands;
• avoid direct contact with bats and pigs;
• Do not eat undercooked pork.