Heboh Nipah Outbreak in India, WHO Speaks Out on Alleged Source of Transmission

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) assesses the risk of further spread of the Nipah virus from the cases in India is considered low. So far there is no evidence of an increase in human-to-human transmission.

This was conveyed by WHO in an exclusive response via email to Global Times on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, following the latest outbreak of the Nipah virus in the state of West Bengal, India which caused five people to be infected and nearly 100 people to be quarantined.

A WHO official said India has the capacity to control this kind of outbreak, as has been shown in previous incidents.

Currently, the recommended public health response measures are being jointly implemented by national health teams and state governments.

However, WHO acknowledges that the exact source of infection in this outbreak is still not fully understood.

"Further exposure to the Nipah virus is still possible, given that bats that are the natural reservoir of this virus are found in several areas of India and Bangladesh, including West Bengal. Public awareness of risk factors, such as the consumption of raw date palm juice, needs to be increased," said the official, quoted from the Global Times website.

According to the WHO, this is the seventh documented Nipah outbreak in India, and the third in West Bengal since 2001. In West Bengal, previous outbreaks were recorded in Siliguri District in 2001 and Nadia District in 2007, both bordering Bangladesh. The country almost every year reports Nipah outbreaks. Other outbreaks in India have occurred in the southern state of Kerala, according to WHO data.

Meanwhile, the Chinese National Health Commission said so far no cases of disease due to the Nipah virus have been found in China. They also stressed that the ongoing outbreak in India mainly occurred in West Bengal, which is not landlocked with China.

"Based on a thorough assessment, the impact of the Nipah virus outbreak in India on China is relatively small," the administration said.

However, they reminded that there was still a risk of importing cases from abroad so that prevention measures needed to be strengthened.

Since the outbreak in India, China's disease control authorities have been said to have moved quickly by closely monitoring the development of the situation abroad and conducting periodic risk assessments.

In addition, training for medical personnel and disease control officers has also been improved, along with strengthening the surveillance and testing system. The response and handling capacity, especially in border areas, has also been strengthened to anticipate potential risks.

A number of airports in Asia, including those in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Nepal, are reported to have tightened health surveillance and passenger screening following the latest Nipah virus outbreak in India.