China ramping up Nipah virus surveillance

No Nipah virus cases had been detected in China as of Tuesday and the probability of infections in China remains low, the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration said in the wake of a recent outbreak in neighboring India.

Nevertheless, Chinese health authorities have begun risk assessments, strengthened monitoring mechanisms, and enhanced testing capabilities and personnel training, it added.

According to the administration, the Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen, with fruit bats serving as its primary natural hosts. Humans can get infected through direct contact with infected animals, or by consuming food contaminated with their saliva or excrement.

The virus, which was first identified in the 1990s in Malaysia, can also spread through pigs and human-to-human contact. Common symptoms of the infection include high fever, breathing difficulty, dizziness, vomiting and convulsions.

According to the World Health Organization, the virus has an estimated fatality rate of 40 percent to 75 percent, and the only known treatment is supportive care to control complications. However, the high mortality rate means it is less virulent and doesn't spread quickly.

As several Asian countries, including Thailand, tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travelers arriving from high-risk areas, India's health ministry said the outbreak in the country has been contained.

The ministry confirmed two Nipah cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, dismissing preliminary reports of five. All 196 close contacts were quarantined and tested, it said, adding that the test results came negative.

Subarna Goswami, an epidemiologist and deputy assistant director of health services in West Bengal, told China Daily that the source of the first infection is yet to be ascertained, but authorities were closely assessing the situation.

China's disease control and prevention administration said that as the country does not share a border with the Indian state where the Nipah outbreak is currently concentrated, the impact probability remains low.

"The virus is primarily transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, patients, or contaminated materials, and its ability to survive in the general environment is weak," the administration told China Central Television. "Nevertheless, the risk of imported cases remains, and precautionary measures will be reinforced."

The administration also said that China has developed, produced and stockpiled nucleic acid testing kits for the Nipah virus, and all provincial-level disease control centers are equipped to conduct targeted laboratory testing for early detection.

As there are no specific drugs or vaccines available against Nipah virus infection, it advised people traveling to the affected region to exercise caution and maintain strict personal hygiene.

Meanwhile, some Chinese researchers said that a domestically developed antiviral drug, originally approved for COVID-19, has demonstrated significant containment activity against the Nipah virus, and could be "a very promising oral candidate" for treatment.

The findings on the drug, called VV116, were published in November in the international journal Emerging Microbes & Infections. The research was led by teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Hubei province and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, which are both affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as Vigonvita Life Sciences Co in Jiangsu province. The Wuhan institute shared details of the study on its social media account on Tuesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand announced on Monday that it has started screening all flights arriving from West Bengal. Inbound travelers are required to undergo temperature checks and complete a health declaration form before clearing customs.

Myanmar's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that it has intensified monitoring measures, as the country has a large population of fruit bats.

The Philippines urged its citizens on Wednesday to remain vigilant even as it assured that the country is prepared to prevent entry and transmission of the virus.

Aparajit Chakraborty in New Delhi contributed to this story.