Knowledge needed to curb Nipah panicListen to this articleIndia's Health Ministry has reported two Nipah virus cases in its eastern state of West Bengal since December, as active surveillance of suspected cases continues. The Ministry of Public Health reported Thailand's first coronavirus-related death in March 2020. First, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Nipah as a zoonotic disease -- a chilling echo of the SARS-CoV-2 spillover that caused Covid-19. Although the risk remains low, authorities have begun risk assessments, strengthened monitoring mechanisms, and enhanced testing capacity and personnel training. However, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed all ministries to intensify surveillance and preventive health screening as precautionary measures.

Source: Bangkok Post February 03, 2026 00:42 UTC