Asia Tightens Airport Health Controls as Nipah Virus Spreads in India Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan have reinstated strict airport health checks akin to those used during the COVID‑19 pandemic after five Nipah virus cases were confirmed in West Bengal, India. The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has intensified screening at its main airports - Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Phuket - for passengers arriving from the affected region. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said no Nipah cases had been recorded in the country but that vigilance would remain high. In Nepal, the government raised its alert level and installed medical checkpoints at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and at land‑border crossings with India, especially in the Koshi province. Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Health, said additional surveillance measures were in place to prevent the virus from entering the country. Taiwan has moved the Nipah virus to its most severe mandatory reporting category, requiring immediate notification and special control measures. The country keeps a “yellow” travel alert for Kerala, India, urging tourists to exercise caution. The outbreak in West Bengal has prompted authorities in the region to quarantine about 100 people, including healthcare workers, after the virus was detected in a local hospital. The World Health Organization has listed Nipah as a priority pathogen because of its high mortality rate and epidemic potential. The measures are aimed at preventing the spread of the zoonotic disease, which is transmitted from infected pigs and bats to humans and can also spread person‑to‑person. { "category": "International", "tags": ["Politics", "Other"], "countries": ["Thailand", "India", "Pakistan", "Myanmar", "Bangladesh", "Sri Lanka", "Philippines", "Indonesia", "Malaysia", "Singapore", "Vietnam", "Cambodia", "Laos", "Myanmar", "Thailand", "Vietnam", "Myanmar", "India", "Thailand"], "cities": ["Phuket", "Suvarnabhumi", "Don Mueang", "Kathmandu", "Kerala"], "persons": ["Anutin Charnvirakul", "Dr. Prakash Budhathoki"], "sentiment": "Negative" }

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