• Monitoring stepped up at all entry points after two cases confirmed in India
• Experts see ‘minimal risk’ as Islamabad mandates 100pc screening; 21-day travel history must
• Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong tighten airport checks; Nepal also on ‘high alert’
• Virus has 40-75pc fatality rate; no vaccine or cure available
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday enforced “strict and enhanced health surveillance” at all entry points of the country after India confirmed two cases of the deadly Nipah virus, joining Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia in stepping up screening of travellers.
Nipah, carried by fruit bats and animals such as pigs, can trigger a deadly brain-swelling fever in humans and can also spread directly from person-to-person through close contact.
The virus is classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) because of its ability to spark fastmoving outbreaks and a fatality rate ranging from 40 per cent to 75pc. There is currently no approved vaccine or cure.
To coordinate the national response, the Border Health Services-Pakistan (BHS-P) issued an advisory mandating new protocols at international airports, seaports and land crossings.
The agency, an ancillary department of the Ministry of National Health Services, cited a regional alert regarding suspected cases in India.
Strict and enhanced health surveillance will be implemented at all entry points immediately to prevent Nipah virus from spreading across borders in Pakistan and to ensure rapid detection and response, according to the advisory.
It added that the instructions apply to all entry points “without any exception”.
New directives mandate that officials must fully screen all arriving and transit passengers, as well as crew and support staff. The advisory explicitly forbids entry into Pakistan without BHS-P health clearance.
Mandatory verification of travel history for the preceding 21 days will be carried out for every traveller, regardless of nationality.
“All in-charges at points of entry shall exercise special vigilance for travellers originating from, or transiting through, Nipah-affected or high-risk regions,” the advisory stated.
“Any false declaration, concealment, or misreporting of travel history shall be immediately documented and reported to the competent authorities for further necessary action.”
Thermal screening and clinical evaluation are mandatory for travellers, and staff are to be attentive to symptoms such as fever, headaches, respiratory distress, and neurological changes like confusion or drowsiness.
Any individual meeting the suspected case definition must be immediately isolated and restricted from onward movement.
“Conveyance and nearby areas must be disinfected immediately following SOPs,” the advisory stated, warning that any failure in surveillance or infection control will be seen as “serious negligence.”
Separately, Pakistan’s National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an alert regarding the potential threat of a viral spillover. While Pakistan has not yet reported a human case, the NIH warned that a significant situation was emerging in South Asia.
“As of January 2026, an outbreak has been confirmed in West Bengal, India,” the NIH alert read. “Due to its high case fatality rate ranging from 40pc to 75pc and the potential for human-to-human transmission, health authorities are placing the region on high alert.”
NIH stated virus management is mainly supportive, addressing respiratory and neurological symptoms. It advised designating tertiary hospitals for isolating cases and urged labs to improve safe sample handling.
‘Risk in Pakistan minimal’
Despite the heightened alert levels, Pakistani health experts cautioned against panic, describing the immediate risk to the country as low.
Talking to Dawn, Microbiologist Prof Dr Javaid Usman said that the virus was named after a place in Malaysia.
“The virus is spread through the droppings of fruit bats and pigs,” he said. He further said that if cases were reported in Pakistan, it would be through carriers.
“Currently, a few cases have been reported in the Indian state of Bengal due to which neighbouring countries have announced to screen their masses,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said that the major symptoms of the virus included fever and neurological disorders.
“People can have fits. The virus can spread through respiratory droplets, saliva and the blood of a patient who has tested positive. So positive samples are kept in isolation,” Dr Usman said.
Chief of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan, told Dawn that this was the 51st outbreak since 2001.
“Although we have issued advisories to alert airport authorities, there are very few chances of identifying patients as the incubation period of the virus is 9 to 14 days,” he said.
Infectious disease expert Dr Rana Safdar told Dawn that Nipah virus was listed by the WHO as a priority pathogen due to a high fatality rate (up to 80pc).
“Its progression is therefore being closely monitored. While efforts are underway, to date no effective vaccine or treatment is available so the management of infected cases is largely supportive,” he added.
Dr Safdar said, since its identification in 1998, the outbreaks of Nipah virus had been sporadically occurring in South and Southeast Asia, largely in rural settings. Countries which have previously reported outbreaks include Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh and India, he said.
“While the principle ‘infectious diseases respect no boundaries’, holds, due to the peculiar transmission dynamics, the risk of spread to surrounding countries thus far remains moderate to low.
Given the current outbreak in India’s West Bengal and the associated media hype, there is no reason to panic as the risk of the virus in Pakistan stays minimal,” he said.
“While executing preventive measures, it’s important to consider that the usually deployed passenger screening at airports does not help much in preventing virus importation. We otherwise need to remain prepared, anticipating and mapping risk and enhancing vigilance in identified vulnerable zones,” Dr Safdar said.
Asia on alert
In India, officials confirmed the two individuals infected in West Bengal were health workers. Both were reported to be under treatment at a local hospital.
Despite the localised nature of the Indian outbreak, other Asian nations moved quickly to harden their borders.
Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency announced it would set up temperature screening at its airport for flights arriving from affected areas.
Hong Kong began checks at gates for passengers arriving from India. Thailand designated specific parking bays for aircraft from risk areas and required health declarations before immigration clearance.
China’s disease control authority acknowledged the risk of imported cases despite detecting no domestic infections. Nepal, which shares a busy land border with India, declared it was on “high alert”.
With input from Reuters
Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026
