67th Myanmar Medical Conference JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Re-emergence of Nipah Virus – 2026

Kyi Kyi Thinn1

 

Published in Volume 68, No. 1, 2026 January – March issue

https://doi.org/10.64455/xmma0019

 

Health officials in India have launched an urgent containment operation after confirming a new outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV) in West Bengal. Two Nipah positive cases were reported on January 11, 2026.

 

As of January 26, 2026, five cases have been admitted in the region near Kolkata, primarily involving healthcare workers at a private hospital in Barasat, West Bengal. The cluster reportedly began with an index patient who passed away before a diagnosis could be confirmed, subsequently infecting the medical staff. In response, authorities have placed approximately 100 close contacts under strict quarantine to prevent further transmission.

 

For neighbouring countries, WHO assesses the public health risk posed by NiV at the regional level to be low. There have been no reports of cross border transmission and the current outbreak remains geographically limited.

With a fatality rate as high as 70% and no existing vaccine, the Nipah virus is currently designated by The World Health Organization as a priority pathogen with significant epidemic potential, The Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a highly lethal zoonotic disease that jumps from animals – specifically fruit bats and pigs – to humans through direct contact or contaminated food. Beyond animal spillover, the virus can also spread directly between people, making hospital settings and close-knit communities particularly vulnerable to localized outbreaks.

 

A major future challenge is to develop and maintain a supply of reliable, targeted, and affordable testing tools to enable rapid diagnostics in laboratories located in regions where the virus is likely to be found in wildlife reservoirs.

The clinical impact of Nipah virus highlights ongoing global public health risks due to the lack of effective treatments and vaccines. A strong international focus on developing vaccines and treatments is essential to reduce the health effects and future risks of Nipah virus.

  1. Professor & Head (Retired), Department of Microbiology, University of Medicine 1, Yangon, Myanmar

Corresponding author: [email protected]