BANGKOK – Thailand is intensifying health screenings for international arrivals following reports of a Nipah virus outbreak in India, though no cases have been detected within the kingdom. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Sunday, January 25, 2026, that enhanced precautionary measures are being implemented due to the absence of a cure or vaccine for the virus.

Thailand Confirms No Nipah Virus Cases, Urges Public Vigilance

Authorities are adapting surveillance systems originally developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor for Nipah infections, emphasizing that the move is preventive rather than a reaction to local transmission.

Professor Yong Poovorawan, head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, provided background on the virus, which first emerged in Malaysia in 1998 and caused more than 100 deaths. He explained that environmental disruptions, such as drought and forest fires, can drive fruit bats—the natural carriers of the virus—into new areas, potentially spreading the pathogen to pigs and then to humans.

Thailand has begun tightening health screening measures at major international airports following confirmation of five Nipah virus cases in India.

Thai health authorities said enhanced surveillance is being implemented at key entry points, including temperature checks, health… pic.twitter.com/OIBFoDxVRq

— katlego (@kaygdir) January 25, 2026

Nipah virus infection presents with high fever, muscle pain, and respiratory distress, with an incubation period of about four to five days. The disease progresses rapidly, has a fatality rate of 40–50%, and is managed only through supportive care.

Six dead as Nipah virus spreads in Kozhikode, India

Professor Yong urged the public not to panic, noting that while fruit bats in Thailand may carry the virus, no human cases have ever been recorded in the country. Human-to-human transmission is rare and requires close contact with bodily fluids. Thailand continues to classify Nipah as a serious communicable disease and remains on high alert through its One Health monitoring network.

-Thailand News (TN)