\u201cAll traced contacts have been found asymptomatic and have tested negative for Nipah virus,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n While the disease has yet to be confirmed outside of India, the Nepalese, Thai and Taiwan governments have launched precautions to stop it from crossing international borders.<\/p>\n Passengers aboard flights from West Bengal to airports at international airports in Bangkok Airports have been asked to make health declarations and are screened upon arrival.<\/p>\n Nepal are also screening arrivals at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and those crossing the Indian board by land.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) said it was aware of two confirmed cases in West Bengal and urged Australians travelling to the area to \u201ctake precautions to minimise their exposure to the disease\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cNipah virus can be transmitted from animals or contaminated foods to people, as well as directly from person to person, the ACDC said.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough there are no licensed human vaccines against the Nipah virus, there are simple ways people can increase their protection levels against the disease.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople travelling overseas to areas where Nipah virus has been detected should avoid any contact with fruit bats and pigs \u2014 the main carriers of the virus \u2014 or eating any fruit that appears to have been partially consumed by an animal. Fruit should be cleaned and peeled before it is eaten.\u201d<\/p>\n The ACDC also advises people to not drink raw date-palm sap, due to the risk of contamination from fruit bats.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly drink date-palm sap that has been boiled,\u201d the centre warns.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the virus can be spread from person to person, people should avoid close contact with anyone suspected of having contracted Nipah \u2013 and in particular, their blood or body fluids,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important that in areas where the Nipah virus may be present, people follow good hygiene practices, such as washing hands after touching animals, or visiting people who are sick, or being out in public places.<\/p>\n \u201cNipah is a rare viral infection, but it can be deadly. Symptoms are often similar to the flu \u2014 and can include a fever, headaches, a cough and a sore throat, and fatigue.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are advised to check with the Smartraveller website<\/a> for the latest travel advice before travelling overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n Health officials in Taiwan have also listed it as a \u201ccategory five disease\u201d, labelling it major risk to public health which requires special control measures.<\/p>\n The Nipah virus was named after the Nipah River, along peninsular Malaysia, where the first human case was identified in 1998.<\/p>\n Some who contract the disease can be asymptomatic, but most initially develop symptoms including a fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)<\/a>.<\/p>\n That can progress to dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).<\/p>\n \u201cEncephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24-48 hours,\u201d the WHO says.<\/p>\n It warns incubation periods commonly range between four days to a fortnight, but have been recorded as long as 45 days.<\/p>\n The first outbreak impacted those on pig farms and slaughterhouses along the peninsular, resulting in 265 infections and 108 deaths.<\/p>\n It was found to have spread through infected pigs and their contaminated tissues, leading to the culling of more than 1 million pigs to contain the disease the following year.<\/p>\n Scientists later discovered that fruit bats are the natural host for Nipah virus, which caused domestic animals such as horses, goats, sheep, cats and dogs to become ill and continue the spread of the disease to humans.<\/p>\n Unprotected physical contact with people or animals infected with the virus should be avoided and any products which could have had contact with a bat should be disposed of.<\/p>\n A number of outbreaks have occurred across south and southeast Asia<\/a>, especially in Bangladesh and India.<\/p>\n Bangladesh authorities have reported 261 confirmed cases and 1999 deaths between 2001 and 2015, a fatality rate of more than 76 per cent.<\/p>\n A 2018 outbreak Kerala, a state in southeast India, resulted in the deaths in all but three of the 23 confirmed cases, a mortality rate upward of 90 per cent.<\/p>\n The WHO warns there is currently no vaccine or drugs to treat the virus despite it being classified as a \u201cpriority disease\u201d for the organisation.<\/p>\n![\"Malaysian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/baaf12d91390fa988b9a2d1d5afcac059effdb6a.jpg\")
Malaysian soldiers responding to the first Nipah virus outbreak in 1999. Credit: AP<\/p>\n![\"Tourists](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99e865bebf6da2181ce009769a87261a66da2ca8.jpg\")
Tourists being screened at a Bangkok airport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: AP![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/bb1e68b6d4436b658ef233d4ca169defb6af940b.jpg\")
The Nipah virus\u2019 natural host is the fruit bat, but is yet to officially be detected in Australia. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/25515036cd8dfd913bc28b9b87c801406579d858.jpg\")
People in protective suits prepare to cremate the body of a 12-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus in India in 2021. Credit: AP<\/p>\n