Nipah virus: travel alert issued to holidaymakers visiting outbreak hotspots
Nipah virus has a high mortality rate, and there is no proven scientific treatment 🚨
- The UKHSA have updated their advice for holidaymakers travelling to an area with a Nipah virus outbreak.
- Nipah virus has a high mortality rate, and there is no known scientific treatment.
- Airports across Asia have also brought in health screening to avoid the spread.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), have updated its travel advice to holidaymakers travelling to areas with an active Nipah virus outbreak.
The serious infectious disease has a high mortality rate, and there is no proven scientific treatment or vaccine available.
Two cases were confirmed in health workers on January 13 in Kolkata, West Bengal State, in India. The virus can spread from animals to humans, but person-to-person infection is also possible.
Airports in Thailand and Nepal have stepped up health screening similar to what occurred during the Covid pandemic, whilst in a bid to protect tourists, the UKHSA have updated their travel advice to regions with an active outbreak.
What is the Nipah virus?
Nipah virus is a serious infectious disease that can be spread from animals to humans. It was first documented in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore.
It is most commonly found in fruit bats, although there is evidence it can infect other animals, including pigs, dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep.
Human infections can be caught through close contact with an infected animal or eating fruit or fruit products that are contaminated with their waste. Infections spreading from person to person have occurred in Bangladesh through close contact with an infected person or their body fluids.
Nipah virus has a high mortality rate, with an estimated 45 to 75% of people who catch the disease dying. There is also no known scientific treatment or vaccine available to offer protection.
What is the advice for holidaymakers?
The UKHSA has updated its advice for holidaymakers who are travelling to areas where there are active outbreaks of Nipah virus.
They are reminding people that they should “avoid contact with bats and their environments, and sick animals”. As well as avoid eating any raw or partially fermented date palm sap.
If eating fruit in areas where there is an active outbreak, the UKHSA recommends that you wash it with clean water and avoid any fruit that has been partially eaten by animals or could be contaminated.
The Nipah virus has a high fatality rate, and there is no known scientific treatment available. You can find out more about the Nipah virus at GOV.UK.