BANGKOK, Jan 27 — Thailand has screened 1,700 passengers arriving from India for Nipah virus, with no infections detected so far, Public Health Minister Phatthana Phromphat confirmed today.

He said the government has stepped up surveillance, with the Department of Disease Control, health personnel and airport authorities working together since Jan 24 to screen passengers arriving from West Bengal, including Kolkata.

“About 700 passengers per day arrive from the state through three airports — Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and Phuket. So far, 1,700 passengers have been screened and no infections have been detected,” he said after attending a Cabinet meeting on Nipah virus prevention measures.

Phatthana said no Nipah virus infections have ever been reported in Thailand.

He noted that the virus is not new, having first been identified in 1998, but that outbreaks have occurred in small clusters in India, stressing that Thai authorities would not be complacent.

The minister said the transmission of the Nipah virus differs from Covid-19, as Covid-19 can be transmitted before symptoms appear, while the Nipah virus cannot be transmitted during the incubation period without symptoms.

He said that even if an infected person were identified on a flight, the risk of transmission to other passengers would be low.

Phatthana urged the public, especially those who have travelled to West Bengal, to monitor their health and report flu-like symptoms to the authorities, affirming that the ministry will continue to monitor the situation closely. — Bernama