HYDERABAD: Airport screenings for Nipah virus, which have been stepped up across Asia this week after two cases were identified in India, are more about reassurance than science, several leading experts said on Friday.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan implemented temperature screenings at airports this week after India announced that two cases of the deadly Nipah virus had been identified in West Bengal.
The countries’ health ministries described the measures as precautionary steps to address a dangerous disease.
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are among the Asian countries that tightened airport screening this week after India reported new infections.
Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit. It can be fatal in up to 75 percent of cases, but it does not spread easily between people.
