According to a Nation Thailand report, some of the measures introduced at airports include ensuring that travelers from ‘risk areas’ must complete a health declaration form and those with a fever must present a medical certificate showing they are fit to fly.
As well as this, aircraft sanitation inspections will be conducted for every flight from outbreak areas. If a suspected case is found, the aircraft must be disinfected before operating its next flight.
And dedicated parking bays have been assigned for aircraft arriving from Nipah outbreak areas. They will also have designated screening areas, isolation rooms and potentially a different baggage handling procedure.Health officials from the country are ‘fairly confident’ the measures will sufficiently prevent an outbreak in the country.
Thailand’s public health minister Phatthana Phromphat has spoken about how the country hopes to successfully deal with the disease.
According to an Independent report, he has said: “If there’s a suspected case at an airport, the person will be quarantined and the results of a relevant test will be known in eight hours. »
He has also explained that the way the Nipah virus is transmitted can put them in a better position than when they had to deal with Covid-19.
He added: “The transmission of Nipah virus is not like that of Covid. Even though they may be asymptomatic, Covid-infected people can transmit the virus.
“For Nipah, infected people will not transmit it as long as they do not have any symptoms.”
Update 01/28/26: Following publication of this article, authorities in India performed more tests and have now reported that only two cases of Nipah virus have been confirmed. Previously, the government stated there were five cases.
A virus is causing a stir right now after a concerning outbreak has prompted countries to take COVID-19-style measures.
