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.
While the virus has infected at least five people in West Bengal, including one in critical condition, Chinese health experts say it is difficult to transmit and less likely to cause an outbreak in China.
With a fatality rate of up to 75 per cent and no effective treatment or vaccines available, the virus has triggered unease in China, with related topics trending on the country’s social media platforms on Monday.
“It’s so scary, especially with the Spring Festival coming up. I don’t want to experience another lockdown,” one online user said, referring to the Lunar New Year holiday. Another asked, “Can’t we temporarily shut the travel channel with India?”
Last month, China and India eased visa rules for each other in a move aimed at boosting travel between the world’s two most populous countries.
The timing of the health threat to China is a concern as the Lunar New Year approaches, a period of extremely high travel traffic into, within and out of the country. The 40-day travel rush, known as chunyun, runs this year from February 2 to March 13.