Nipah virus: what it is, how it spreads, and practical risk reduction
Nipah virus (NiV) is a rare zoonotic virus that can cause severe illness, including encephalitis and respiratory disease. Most people are not at risk in day-to-day life; risk rises with specific exposures and close contact during outbreaks.
Reservoir: fruit bats (Pteropus)
Incubation: typically 4–14 days (rarely longer)
Case fatality: varies by outbreak
What’s new (India)
Situation snapshot
Reports of Nipah cases in West Bengal have led to enhanced surveillance and airport screening in parts of Asia.
See Current Situation (India) and Updates & Travel Impact for dated summaries and practical travel implications.
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Plain-language framing
High severity ≠ high spread. Nipah can be severe in the people it infects, but outbreaks are typically limited clusters. Public health measures (screening, isolation, contact tracing) are often precautionary and do not by themselves imply widespread transmission.