The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman in northern Bangladesh died in January after contracting the Nipah virus.
Bangladesh, where Nipah infections occur almost annually, reported this case following two recent infections identified in neighbouring India, prompting enhanced airport screening in parts of Asia.
The patient, aged about 40–50, developed symptoms on January 21—fever and headache—followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsions. She died a week later, and the infection was confirmed one day after her death.
WHO reported she had no travel history but had consumed raw date palm sap, a known risk factor for Nipah transmission. All 35 people who had contact with her are being monitored and have tested negative; no additional cases have been detected so far.
Nipah is a zoonotic virus mainly spread through food contaminated by infected fruit bats and can be fatal in up to 75% of cases, though human-to-human spread is limited.
After cases in India’s West Bengal, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan introduced temperature screening at airports as a precaution.
WHO said the risk of international spread is low and does not recommend travel or trade restrictions at this time.
In 2025 Bangladesh reported four laboratory-confirmed fatal Nipah cases. There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specifically approved to treat or prevent the disease.
