Several Asian countries, including Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan, have reintroduced COVID-style health screenings at airports and border crossings following a Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal, India. Thailand has specifically targeted passengers arriving from affected regions for fever monitoring, while Nepal has intensified checks at land borders due to the frequent movement of people across the open frontier with India. Although Indian officials report that nearly 200 contacts have tested negative so far, the World Health Organization continues to list the virus as a priority pathogen due to its possibility of causing an epidemic.
Date: January 26, 2026. Source: independent.co.uk