The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of the Nipah virus spreading as low and does not recommend imposing travel or trade restrictions due to recent cases in India, according to a statement on the organization’s website.
In January, two cases of Nipah virus were reported in healthcare workers in West Bengal, India. Nearly 200 individuals who had contact with the infected people were tested, but no new cases were found, and there were no signs of sustained human-to-human transmission, the WHO reported.
“The regional and global risk of the infection spreading is assessed as low,” the organization stated.
The Nipah virus is transmitted from animals to humans and, in rare cases, between humans. There are no vaccines or specific treatments for the virus, and its fatality rate ranges from 40% to 75%.
In response to the outbreak in India, neighboring countries such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan have increased border controls.
Earlier, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP) informed Asia-Plus news agency that the situation regarding the threat of infection in the country is being closely monitored and considered under control.
Tajikistan’s Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Jamoliddin Abdullozoda, stated at a news conference in Dushanbe pn January 28 that diagnostic tests for detecting the Nipah virus, supplied by the Russian Federation, have already been delivered to Tajikistan.
These measures are aimed at strengthening epidemiological control, especially in light of the international situation surrounding the outbreak, Abdullozoda explained.
He emphasized that, to date, no cases of Nipah virus infection have been reported in Tajikistan, as the primary hosts of the virus—certain species of tropical bats—do not reside in the country.
Abdullozoda also noted that over 1,500 students from India, where the outbreak has been detected, are currently studying in Tajikistan. To prevent the spread of the virus, remote thermoscanners have been installed at Dushanbe airports to monitor the health of incoming passengers, including those from India.