In response to the situation, several Asian nations have taken proactive steps to curb the virus’s spread by enhancing airport screening processes. These precautionary measures follow the confirmation that both individuals infected with the virus were nurses employed at a private hospital in Barasat.

India’s Health Ministry has assured that all individuals who had contact with the infected nurses have been quarantined and are undergoing testing to prevent further transmission. In light of this, neighboring countries have heightened their vigilance at airports, implementing temperature checks for arriving travelers and stepping up surveillance at border checkpoints.

Additionally, authorities are advising against travel to the affected Barasat region to minimize risk. This comes amid initial media claims from India about a possible rise in cases, which health officials have since dismissed as inaccurate and speculative.

The safety measures were put in place after early media reports from India suggested a surge in cases, but health authorities said those figures were “speculative and incorrect.”

Nipah is a zoonotic virus first identified during a 1990s outbreak in Malaysia. It spreads through fruit bats, pigs and human-to-human contact.

The virus has an estimated fatality rate of between 40% and 75%, according to WHO. It is deadlier than the coronavirus.

Nipah spreads through bats, pigs, horses and eventually human-to-human contact. It is most frequently spread through fruit bats, who don’t appear to be impacted much when infected.

Bats are thought to be the original or intermediary hosts for multiple viruses that have spawned recent epidemics, including COVID-19, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Nipah virus, Hendra virus and Marburg virus. A 2019 study found that of viruses originating from the five most common mammalian sources — primates, rodents, carnivores, ungulates and bats — those from bats are the most virulent in humans.

Nipah can also be spread through direct or indirect contact with an infected person or animal. The World Health Organization said the virus can sometimes also be transmitted through contaminated food. 

The incubation period before an infected person or animal shows signs could be anywhere between three and 14 days. There have been rare instances of the incubation period lasting 45 days, according to WHO. 

While some infections might be asymptomatic, or show little to no signs of sickness, most people will experience fevers, headaches, confusion, coughing, sore throat, difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea, according to WHO. The virus can also impact “other organs.” 

The CDC said severe symptoms include seizures or inflammation of the brain, which can lead to a coma within a day or two.

Most people who survive make a full recovery, but long-term neurologic conditions have been reported in approximately 1 in 5 people who recovered from the disease, according to the World Health Organization. 

There is no vaccine for the virus. The CDC said the only treatment is “early supportive care” to control complications and keep patients comfortable.

Earlier Nipah outbreaks were reported in West Bengal in 2001 and 2007, while recent cases have largely been detected in southern Kerala state. A major outbreak in 2018 killed at least 17 people in Kerala.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.