The Union Health Minister has said there are no immediate plans to tighten border controls after a case of the deadly virus was detected in India.

Nipah virus was detected in two people in West Bengal state, and Asian countries are tightening health screening measures, including at airports.

The virus is most commonly spread by fruit bats, and although human infections are rare, the World Health Organization says the human fatality rate can be between 40 and 75 percent.

Health Minister Mark Butler told ABC Radio National that the federal government was taking the situation seriously but was not considering further border measures.

“There is currently no advice to change existing procedures for sick travelers arriving in Australia. We already have procedures in place to do so, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Mr Butler said.

“There’s reason to hope this is contained.”

‘We shouldn’t panic’: Expert

The virus, which has not yet been detected in Australia, is a zoonotic disease similar to COVID-19 and Ebola, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans, but it is not transmitted through droplets in the air, so the way it spreads is very different from COVID-19.

“It requires very close personal contact between humans and the effective exchange of body fluids.”

“There’s no reason to panic,” said Sanjaya Senanayake, an associate professor of medicine at the Australian National University.

“This is not a brand new virus. It has been around since 1999… and countries like Bangladesh see Nipah virus outbreaks every year,” Dr. Senanayake said.

“This is something we’ve known for a long time, and we have outbreaks every year in that part of Asia, but we’ve never panicked before, so there’s no need to panic now.”

The Australian Center for Disease Control said it was unusual for the virus to spread from person to person because infection requires close, prolonged contact with an infected person, such as when a health worker is caring for an infected patient.

There is no vaccine for Nipah virus, but the World Health Organization says several vaccine candidates are currently in different stages of development.

Vaccine development faces challenges as outbreaks are generally small, making it difficult to conduct vaccine efficacy trials.

Dr Senanayake said only about 750 cases of Nipah virus have been recorded in almost 30 years.

“I think if a pandemic like the coronavirus reaches a stage of concern, there might be an increase in research and production,” he said.

“There are no antiviral drugs for Nipah virus, so if someone gets infected with Nipah virus, that’s what we call supportive care, just general measures.”

Increased inspections at some Asian borders

Several countries in Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan, have stepped up health checks at their borders in recent days, with some airports using thermal screening or temperature scanners to screen travelers, particularly those arriving from India.

The precautionary measures come as the region prepares for a surge in tourists for the Lunar New Year holiday season, which begins in about two weeks.

However, India’s Ministry of Health said there are no plans to screen passengers at Indian airports as the situation does not warrant it.

“There have been no outbreaks. In 2019, there were only two cases in one district.” [West] There is no spread in Bengal,” an official told Reuters.

The ministry announced that it had traced 196 close contacts of the two positive cases, and that all of them had tested negative for the virus.

The two infected patients are nurses at the same hospital, and while one is expected to be discharged soon, the other remains in critical condition.

Nipah virus can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, and shortness of breath, four days to three weeks after infection.

In some cases, people develop pneumonia or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), but most people who survive make a full recovery.