The risk of the deadly Nipah virus spreading beyond India’s borders is low, the World Health Organization has said, adding that no travel or trade restrictions are recommended.
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are among the countries that this week strengthened checks at airports to protect against the possible spread of the virus, after India confirmed two infections.
“WHO considers the risk of further spread of infections from these two cases to be low. There is no evidence yet that human-to-human transmission is increasing,” the organization said, adding that India has the capacity to contain such outbreaks.
However, the WHO did not rule out further exposure to the virus, which is circulating in bat populations in parts of India and neighboring Bangladesh.
The Nipah virus, which is spread mainly by bats and animals such as pigs, can cause fever and inflammation of the brain.
The mortality rate ranges from 40% to 75% and no cure has been found, although vaccines in development are in the testing phase.
It is transmitted to humans by infected bats or the fruits they infect, but human-to-human transmission is not easy, as it usually requires prolonged contact with infected people.
