Hanoi (VNA) – In response to the alarming Nipah virus cases in India, Singapore and Indonesia have stepped up health screening measures at airports to prevent the disease from entering and spreading.
The Communicable Diseases Agency of Singapore (CDA) announced on January 29 that the country will conduct temperature screening for travellers arriving on flights from areas where Nipah virus outbreaks have been reported.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Ministry of Manpower will step up surveillance of newly arrived migrant workers from South Asia and engage the ministry's primary care providers to increase vigilance.
The CDA said it is closely monitoring the Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal - the seventh in India since 2001. It has not ruled out additional preventive measures if the epidemiological risk increases.
The agency has also alerted hospitals and emergency departments to be vigilant for Nipah virus infections in patients with compatible symptoms and recent travel history to West Bengal, the agency said.
It noted that ongoing bio-surveillance programmes, which have been monitoring Singapore's bat populations since 2011, have not detected the virus in the country.
The same day, Indonesia's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport intensified its health screening for passengers arriving to Bali as a precaution against the spread of Nipah virus and potential infection cases in the island province.
A communication representative of the airport said if symptomatic passengers are detected, the quarantine office will refer them to Ngoerah Central General Hospital in Denpasar,
The measures come as passenger traffic at the airport has been high recently, with an average daily movement of over 35,000 passengers. Indonesian authorities have urged travellers to monitor their health and promptly report any fever or unusual symptoms.
The World Health Organization and other health agencies have stated that the Nipah virus can affect the lungs and brain. The virus is transmitted to humans through animals, particularly fruit bats, or through contaminated food.
Symptoms of Nipah virus infection include fever, headache, drowsiness, confusion, and coma, with a mortality rate exceeding 40 percent among infected patients./.
Philippines alerts public on Nipah virus
The Philippines Department of Health noted that proactive border screening measures continue to be enforced to protect the public from the entry of infectious diseases, including online health declarations before travel, on-arrival thermal scanning, and trained observation of travelers at ports of entry.
