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The Thai Ministry of Public Health on Sunday began screening air passengers arriving from India for possible Nipah virus infection after five Nipah virus cases were reported and nearly 100 people were quarantined in India's eastern state of West Bengal, according to media reports. 

Screening is being carried out at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, focusing on travellers arriving from West Bengal. Authorities said passengers and relevant agencies have been cooperative, Thai media outlet The Nation Thailand reported.

The ministry has also issued a "Health Beware Card" for travellers arriving from risk areas. It advises anyone who develops symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, confusion or seizures—especially if they have had contact with bats, sick animals or an infected person within 21 days before arriving in Thailand—to seek medical attention immediately, The Nation Thailand reported.

Earlier, Indian authorities are rushing to contain a Nipah virus outbreak after five cases were reported and nearly 100 people quarantined in the eastern state of West Bengal, The Independent reported Friday local time.

Three new infections were reported earlier this week, authorities said, adding to two existing cases of nurses, one male and one female, who had earlier tested positive. The nurses were working at a private hospital in Barasat near the state capital of Kolkata, 

Besides Thailand screening air passengers arriving from India, the Government of Nepal has heightened nationwide alertness to prevent the possible entry of the Nipah virus, following its recent spread in India's neighboring state of West Bengal, according to Nepalese media outlet The Annapurna Express on January 22.

Spokesperson for the Nepal Ministry of Health and Population, Prakash Budhathoki, said the government has put adequate preventive measures in place. Health screenings have been initiated for passengers arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport, as well as at major border points with India, The Annapurna Express reported. 

"We have intensified surveillance particularly at border points in Koshi Province. Similar health checks have also been ordered at other border crossings," Budhathoki said, per the report.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nipah virus is classified as a priority pathogen owing to its epidemic potential. There are no vaccines or treatment for Nipah virus. Nipah virus infection in humans causes a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis, says WHO.

A member of the Henipavirus genus, Nipah virus is mainly carried by fruit bats of the Pteropus species, creating a constant risk of spillover to humans through contaminated food or direct contact. With no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment available, and fatality rates in past outbreaks ranging between 40 percent and 75 percent, Nipah remains a serious public health threat wherever it emerges, according to the Indian local media the Economist Times.

Global Times