Nipah Outbreak: Asian Airports Boost Screening; China Urges Vigilance Amid High Fatality Rate

• Asian airports, including Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan, have intensified health screenings due to Nipah virus cases in India.
• China's CDC has called for heightened vigilance against imported diseases during the Lunar New Year travel season (chunyun).
• Five confirmed Nipah cases among health workers in West Bengal have been reported, with 100-200 contacts being traced.
• Dr. Narendra Kumar Arora highlighted Nipah's 40-75% mortality rate and the lack of a vaccine, though monoclonal antibodies are being sourced.
• Nipah is a zoonotic disease, transmissible from animals to humans and human-to-human, causing severe respiratory illness or encephalitis.

Why It Matters: Nipah virus outbreak in India prompts Asian airports to increase screening and China to urge vigilance due to its high fatality rate.