{"id":445726,"date":"2026-01-29T19:06:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/445726\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T19:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:06:21","slug":"should-australians-be-worried-about-nipah-virus-what-it-is-health-advice-and-latest-outbreak-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/445726\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Australians be worried about Nipah virus? What it is, health advice and latest outbreak updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

In eerily familiar scenes around the world, extreme actions are being taken to combat a concerning outbreak of Nipah virus, which is described as a \u201cbrain swelling\u201d virus that can kill people after noticing symptoms of a \u201cnon-specific flu\u201d.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, health authorities across the world have started to sound the alarm over Nipah virus, including warning people to \u201cavoid close contact\u201d with people who may have been exposed, while screens at airports ramp up in a race to stop potential spread.<\/p>\n

The virus is deadly, much more so than COVID-19, and with that pandemic still too fresh in people\u2019s memories, the latest outbreak has many wondering if they should be worried about Nipah.<\/p>\n

Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.<\/p>\n

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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.\"ColourisedColourised transmission electron micrograph of a single Nipah virus particle. Credit: BSIP\/BSIP\/Universal Images Group via <\/p>\n

What is Nipah virus? <\/p>\n

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to humans. Other well-known examples of zoonotic diseases include COVID-19, Ebola, Bird Flu, Salmonella, and Lyme disease.<\/p>\n

Like COVID-19, Nipah virus originated from bats, specifically fruit bats. It can also spread from animals to humans through pigs.<\/p>\n

\"NipahNipah virus can be spread to humans by bats and pigs. Credit: arrowsmith2 – stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Nipah has a very high mortality rate, with estimates suggesting 40 per cent – 70 per cent of those infected may die. COVID-19 had an initial mortality rare of 15 per cent, which went down to around 0.15 per cent, after mass exposure and vaccinations.<\/p>\n

The incubation period for Nipah virus is between four and 14 days. When symptoms present, people may experience high fevers, nausea, vomiting and respiratory issues, with pneumonia a serious risk.<\/p>\n

The most extreme cases of Nipah virus can cause the brain to swell excessively, making sufferers feel sleepy or even have seizures.<\/p>\n

Nipah virus is spread from animals to humans by direct contact with a host, or via humans coming into contact with foods or items the animals have secreted on. The urine or droppings from fruit bats are enough to make food contagious.<\/p>\n

Live COVID-19, people are tested for Nipah virus through throat and nasal swabs.<\/p>\n

Is there a Nipah virus vaccine?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a virus that has been around for years, first detected in 1998, but there is currently no vaccine for Nipah.<\/p>\n

Since then, 119 people have died from Nipah virus across multiple outbreaks in Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Singapore and Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

The last outbreak of Nipah virus was in 2018, but authorities fear this one could be different.<\/p>\n

Where is the current Nipah virus outbreak<\/p>\n

The current outbreak of Nipah Virus is in West Bengal, India. So far, two healthcare workers have tested positive. Those 2 cases have 196 contacts according to the health authorities in West Bengal.<\/p>\n

\u201cA total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have been identified, traced, monitored, and tested,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll traced contacts have been found asymptomatic and have tested negative for Nipah Virus Disease.<\/p>\n

\"NarayanaNarayana Multispeciality Hospital, where two Nipah cases had been detected. Credit: MS\/AP<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation is under constant monitoring, and all necessary public health measures are in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a significant sign of the serious risk Nipah virus presents, countries have started to act.<\/p>\n

At airports across Asia, quarantine and screening measures are being intensified, with thermal scanning set up at multiple locations.<\/p>\n

\"InIn this photograph provided by the public relations department of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Quarantine doctors watch thermal scanning of travelers from west Bengal, India at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn, Thailand, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Public relations department of Suvarnabhumi International Airport via AP) Credit: AP<\/p>\n

In Hong Kong, anyone arriving from India is being screened.<\/p>\n

\u201cHong Kong has the ability to detect infections of unknown causes and emerging infectious diseases at boundary control points and in hospitals,\u201d Hong Kong\u2019s Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Edwin Tsui said.<\/p>\n

There are currently no cases of Nipah virus from the outbreak recorded in Australia.<\/p>\n

Screenings at Australian airports is currently not taking place, meaning those exposed to Nipah Virus could make their way into the community while contagious.<\/p>\n

Nipah virus health advice for Australians<\/p>\n

The Department of Health told The Nightly that Nipah virus is rare, but \u201ccan be deadly\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople travelling overseas to areas where Nipah virus has been detected should avoid any contact with fruit bats and pigs \u2013 the main carriers of the virus \u2013 or eating any fruit that appears to have been partially consumed by an animal,\u201d a spokesperson for the Australian Centre for Disease Control said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFruit should be cleaned and peeled before it is eaten.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are advised not to drink raw date-palm sap, as this may have been contaminated by fruit bats. Only drink date-palm sap that has been boiled.<\/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.<\/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 \u2013 and can include a fever, headaches, a cough and a sore throat, and fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In eerily familiar scenes around the world, extreme actions are being taken to combat a concerning outbreak of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445727,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,137,44,6213,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-445726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-health","tag-news","tag-society","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}