The recent report of a Nipah virus outbreak in India, with confirmed cases also among healthcare workers, draws the attention of companies that employ staff traveling internationally or operating in health-risk areas. In a context of increasing global mobility, preventive management of biological risks becomes a key element of travel risk management and worker health protection policies.
In recent days, a new outbreak of Nipah virus has been reported in the state of West Bengal, India, after confirmed cases were identified among healthcare personnel at a private hospital in Barasat. This event has raised international alert, especially in some South and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan, which have intensified health checks and border surveillance for travelers from the affected areas.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen with high lethality, transmitted mainly by fruit bats or through consumption of contaminated food. Documented outbreaks in the past have had mortality rates ranging from 40% to 75%, while there are no currently approved vaccines or specific therapies.
👉 The confirmed cases in India involve two health care workers aged about 25 years who were hospitalized and isolated in specialized facilities. Indian health authorities have activated contact tracing activities and preventive quarantines, involving about 200 potentially exposed people, all of whom are currently asymptomatic and have negative tests.
Despite the international alert, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of spread outside India as low, as no significant increase in human-to-human transmission has been observed and no case exports through travel have been detected. As a result, no restrictions on global travel or trade were recommended.
Meanwhile, several Asian countries have reintroduced health screening measures at airports inspired by anti-COVID protocols. These include:
As evidenced by these measures, Travel Medicine plays a crucial role in protecting public health, especially in the context of global mobility still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience accumulated in recent years shows how important this is:
✅ to continuously update travel recommendations;
✅ share timely information on emerging outbreaks;
✅ support travelers with evidence-based prevention guidelines;
✅ collaborate with international health authorities for coordinated responses.
Against a backdrop of emerging outbreaks, unpredictable health risks, and rapidly changing epidemiological environments, companies with global interests and internationally mobile staff cannot rely on improvised solutions or fragmented information.
Relying on partners specializing in Travel Medicine means integrating travelers' health within a structured Travel Risk Management strategy, based on:
Investing in a Travel Health Policy is not just a health protection measure, but a strategic choice that contributes to business continuity, regulatory compliance and the company's accountability to its employees.
In an increasingly interconnected world, safe travel requires specialized expertise; therefore, companies operating internationally must have reliable partners who can anticipate risks and turn preventive health care into a real competitive advantage.