Outbreak of virus '75 times more deadly than COVID' triggers new emergency measures

 The outbreak of a virus with no known vaccine has triggered numerous countries across Asia to tighten their border security as experts have scrambled to find a vaccine. Nipah virus is a deadly virus.

With a mortality rate 75 times more deadly than COVID, the virus is one of the 260 known viruses with epidemic potential. After an outbreak of Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, a number of countries across Asia have reintroduced COVID styled screening at borders and at airports, fearing the virus could trigger the next global pandemic.

Pakistan is the latest Asian country to tighten its borders against the outbreak joining the ranks of Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, who have all taken emergency measures to increase screening for the virus.

In a statement, Pakistan’s health ministry said: “All travellers will undergo thermal screening and clinical assessment at ports of entry.” The department further noted the measures applied to airports, seaports and land crossings.

The statement added: “It has become imperative to strengthen preventative and surveillance measures at Pakistan’s borders." Travellers who arrive in the country will be required to provide details of their travel history over the previous 21 days to determine whether they have passed through areas classified as high-risk or affected by Nipah.

The increased safety measures come after experts have scrambled to find a vaccine to the virus last month as they launched the world’s first Nipah virus vaccine trial. Commenting on the trials launch vaccine’s developer Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, of the University of Oxford, stated: “This new trial in Bangladesh marks an important step forward in our work to develop a vaccine against Nipah virus, a deadly health threat that currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.”

“The progress we’ve made so far – with the support of our collaborators and funders – is testament to the value of international collaboration and long-term investment in pandemic preparedness.”

Dr Rebecca Dutch, chair of the University of Kentucky’s department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry has cautioned there is a possibility the Nipah virus could cause the next pandemic.

The doctor said: “Nipah is one of the viruses that could absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic. Several things about Nipah are very concerning.

“Many other viruses in that family (like measles) transmit well between people, so there is concern that a Nipah variant with increased transmission could arise.

"The mortality rate for this virus is between 45% and 75% depending on the outbreak – so this is much higher than Covid-19.

"Nipah has been shown to transmit through food, as well as via contact with human or animal excretions."

She added: “The incubation period for Nipah can be quite long, and it can be unclear if transmission can occur during this time.”