Nipah virus has been detected in fruit bats in Thailand, though officials report that the viral concentration remains significantly lower than in countries currently experiencing outbreaks. Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing the Bangkok Post, that the Ministry of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand has issued a statement regarding the discovery.
Deputy Health Minister Sophon Iamsirithaworn stated that while the virus is present in the local bat population, the primary risk to the public stems from infected individuals arriving from regions where the disease is actively spreading. He emphasized that the virus is carried only by specific hosts and that no human cases have been confirmed within Thailand to date.
"Confirmed cases of the disease have not been recorded in Thailand. Concerns exist in other countries, particularly Bangladesh and the West Bengal state of India. Although these countries are far from Thailand, monitoring is essential because there are direct flights from them to Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Phuket airports," he stated.
The official added that health screenings for travelers arriving from high-risk areas are ongoing at these international gateways. The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus transmitted from animals to humans, and it can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia, and there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment available for the infection.
