Nipah outbreak in India has China worried before Lunar New YearListen to this articleA patient, who according to medics is suffering from Nipah infection, is shifted to an ICU of Nipah isolation ward in Kozhikode Medical College in Kozhikode district in the southern state of Kerala, India, on July 20, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)An outbreak of the highly fatal Nipah virus in India's eastern state of West Bengal has sparked widespread attention and public concern in China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday when millions will travel. The most fatal complication of Nipah infection is inflammation of the brain, known as encephalitis. Overall, the likelihood of a Nipah outbreak in China was considered low under current conditions, she said. Between mid-May and mid-July last year, four confirmed cases of Nipah virus infection, including two deaths, were reported in two districts of Kerala, a tropical coastal state in India.

Source: Bangkok Post January 29, 2026 12:07 UTC