Nipah Virus: The Silent Threat We Can’t Ignore

by Pavithra Mohan

The Nipah virus (NiV) isn’t a household name like COVID-19, but among scientists and health workers, it’s one of the viruses that keeps them up at night. Why? Because it’s deadly, it can spread from person to person, and so far, there’s no cure or vaccine.

The first time the world met Nipah was in Malaysia in 1998, when an outbreak killed over 100 people and led to the heartbreaking culling of more than a million pigs to stop it. Since then, it’s reappeared in parts of South and Southeast Asia, especially Bangladesh and India; often with high death rates.

How it spreads
The main culprits carrying Nipah are fruit bats, which can pass the virus to pigs or directly to people. You can get infected by touching sick animals, being near their bodily fluids, or by eating something they’ve contaminated. In Bangladesh, for example, several outbreaks have been linked to drinking raw date palm sap that bats had visited. Once the virus reaches humans, it can spread between people, especially among family members or healthcare workers caring for patients.

What it does to the body
Nipah doesn’t always start dramatically. Early symptoms can feel like a nasty flu: fever, headache, sore throat, muscle aches. But in many cases, things escalate quickly and the virus can cause brain swelling (encephalitis), leading to confusion, seizures, coma, and in too many cases, death. Depending on the outbreak and access to care, the fatality rate can range from 40% to a terrifying 75%.

Where it’s struck before

• Malaysia & Singapore (1998–1999): Over 100 deaths, millions of pigs culled.
• Bangladesh (2001–present): Almost yearly outbreaks, often linked to raw date palm sap.
• India (2001, 2007, 2018, 2021, 2024): Several deadly outbreaks in West Bengal and Kerala, with proven person-to-person spread.

Why experts worry about global spread

• It’s deadly — the death rate is far higher than many other infectious diseases.
• It spreads between people — especially in close-contact settings.
• No cure, no vaccine — treatment is limited to managing symptoms.
• We’re changing the environment — deforestation, urban sprawl, and more human-wildlife contact make future spillovers more likely.

What can be done
Stopping Nipah from becoming a bigger threat means acting now:

• Stronger surveillance in hotspot regions so outbreaks are caught early.
• Educate communities such as warning against drinking raw date palm sap or handling sick animals without protection.
• Training in infection control for healthcare workers to stop hospital-based spread.
• Invest in research for vaccines, treatments, and rapid tests.

Nipah hasn’t gone global yet. But its combination of deadliness, human-to-human spread, and lack of treatment makes it one to watch closely. As we’ve learned from other pandemics, the best time to prepare is before the crisis hits.