Covid-era lockdowns in airports as a result of lethal virus – full checklist of signs
Several airports in India have brought back Covid-era health restrictions amid an outbreak of a potentially lethal virus. Other airports have started to screen passengers coming from India in an attempt to control the spread
The Nipah virus is causing major concerns(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Passengers are facing rigorous health checks that echo those implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. This follows the emergence of a new infectious illness that appears to be spreading, presenting some alarming symptoms including brain inflammation.
Several airports across India’s West Bengal state have reintroduced Covid-style health measures following an active outbreak of a potentially fatal pathogen. At present, only five instances of the illness have been identified in the region, yet it has demonstrated itself to be a lethal condition.
Additional airports have begun examining travellers arriving from India in a bid to halt the virus’s transmission. Individuals displaying possible symptoms are now being relocated to designated isolation facilities to monitor any potential infection.
Multiple cases of Nipah virus have been discovered in the province, which houses major metropolitan areas including Kolkata, the Sun reported. The pathogen is notorious for its devastating mortality rate, capable of claiming approximately 75% of those it strikes as there is no treatment available.
The infection can start off with no symptoms, before the patient becomes acutely unwell with respiratory problems.
Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, while severe cases can cause brain inflammation, leading to coma within 24 to 48 hours.
Researchers have warned that Nipah could “absolutely be the cause of a new pandemic”, given its transmission through bats – much like how Covid emerged in China in 2019. When contracted, Nipah attacks the respiratory system and may trigger deadly brain inflammation; crucially, there’s no vaccine available to guard against this illness.
Following the minor outbreak, numerous neighbouring nations of India aren’t taking any risks and have implemented stringent protocols to prevent the virus from spreading. Countries including Nepal, Thailand and Taiwan are amongst those establishing screening zones for travellers arriving from India.
Travellers heading to Phuket, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports from India must undergo additional health screenings. Those presenting with high temperatures or symptoms potentially linked to the virus will be transferred to specialist containment facilities.
It’s not only airports implementing enhanced precautions to halt the virus reaching West Bengal. Nepal is beginning to intensify medical examinations at its overland crossing with the Indian state, hoping to keep the disease beyond their borders.
Indian officials have confirmed that the five individuals currently battling the infection are all medical staff working at a private hospital in Barasat. Among the five cases, two nurses continue to fight for their lives and are presently in comas, according to authorities.
Beyond the five individuals already confirmed to have contracted the disease, a further 110 people believed to have had contact with the patients have been placed into self-isolation. This development follows the World Health Organisation expressing alarm about the illness, warning it possesses the capability to trigger a pandemic.
Whilst no instances of Nipah virus have ever been officially documented in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has already assessed the lethal virus, including it on its register of diseases deemed to pose the most significant future risk to public health.
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