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The Philippine Star
February 1, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization said there is no available vaccine or licensed treatment for the Nipah virus disease and encouraged governments to strengthen infection prevention measures amid reported outbreaks in India and Bangladesh.
“The only way to reduce or prevent infection in people is by raising awareness on the risk factors and supporting people with measures they can take to reduce exposure to the Nipah virus,” the WHO said in a statement.
Apart from strengthening infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said there is also a need for good laboratory systems and intensive supportive care to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.
“As part of standard precautions, ensure adequate ventilation in patient care areas and continuously perform a risk assessment prior to and during interaction with patients to identify potential infectious risks, ensure appropriate patient placement and apply transmission-based precautions when appropriate,” WHO advises.
Nipah, a zoonotic virus, can be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people.
Human-to-human transmission of Nipah virus can occur through close and prolonged contact with infected individuals and documented health care-associated transmission.
The WHO noted that Nipah infection in humans causes a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection (sub-clinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis.
“The overall global case fatality rate is estimated to range from 40 percent to 75 percent, depending on the viral strain and quality and capacity of local epidemiological surveillance and clinical management,” it noted.
The WHO, however, said it does not recommend any travel and/or trade restrictions based on the currently available information.
“The scenario once again underscores the need for all national surveillance systems to be robust (no matter whether it’s Nipah virus or any other pathogen) and for information between countries to be shared on a timely basis,” WHO said.
In accordance with WHO’s recommendation, the Department of Health (DOH) said proactive border screening measures such as online health declarations, on-arrival thermal scanning and trained observation of travelers are being implemented by the Bureau of Quarantine.
The BOQ is also actively disseminating important information and education materials concerning Nipah virus in all points of entry.
“Since the issue of the Nipah virus surfaced, we have not monitored or intercepted any (Nipah virus case) even among those arriving on a direct flight from India,” BOQ officer-in-charge Roberto Salvador Jr. said in a radio interview.
He stressed the importance of the e-travel system as this helps them with monitoring, especially of those coming from India.
“We are reminding travelers to answer properly the (questions asked in the) e-travel. This should be filled out 72 hours before your scheduled flight back to the country. It is a must to declare the required health information to help screen those who are sick and can possibly bring the disease from the country they visited,” he explained.
Though there were no additional travel restrictions imposed, Salvador said they are subjecting to screening travelers who just arrived in the country.
