Myanmar has intensified health screening and surveillance at Yangon International Airport to prevent the possible entry of the Nipah virus, reported today by the state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar. It advises against all nonessential travel to the West Bengal region of India.
Myanmar Airways International frequently operates routes from Yangon to Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The country’s Ministry of Health has intensified surveillance on passengers arriving from India, paying particular attention to fevers. Passengers can also access informative leaflets and posters around the site. The Ministry is carrying out similar measures at Mandalay International Airport.
To date, testing has revealed no suspected cases in Myanmar.
On 26 January 2026, India notified the World Health Organization of two laboratory-confirmed cases of Nipah virus in the West Bengal state. Both are healthcare workers at the same hospital in Barasat. Authorities have since traced and tested over 190 known contacts, and identified no further cases to date.
Nipah is a zoonotic disease that mainly spreads from infected pigs and bats to humans, but it can also spread through close person-to-person contact.
Other countries across parts of Asia have also begun tightening health surveillance and travel screening measures at their airports.
Thailand has stepped up health screening at major airports for passengers arriving from West Bengal, using techniques from the Covid-19 pandemic. Passengers at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Phuket airports are being monitored for fever and symptoms associated with the virus, and advice cards on what to do if a traveller falls ill are available.
Officials have also increased cleaning and disease-control preparedness at Phuket International Airport as part of the preventive measures.
Officials raised alert levels in Nepal, and intensified health checks at Tribhuvan International Airport. Authorities in Taiwan look to list Nipah virus as a Category 5 notable disease. This is the highest classification for infectious diseases in local law.
China has strengthened disease prevention measures across its border areas.
Nipah virus is detected across Asia every year, including in India, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The disease was first identified in 1998 among pig farmers in Malaysia, when it killed more than 100 people.
