The World Health Organization said Friday that a woman in northern Bangladesh died in January after contracting the Nipah virus. Bangladesh, where Nipah infections occur almost every year, reported this case after two recent infections were identified in neighboring India, prompting some Asian countries to step up airport screening. The patient, aged about 40–50, developed fever and headache on January 21, then developed hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsions. She died a week later and laboratory confirmation of Nipah infection came the day after her death. WHO said she had no travel history but had consumed raw date palm sap, a known risk factor for transmission. All 35 people who had contact with her are being monitored and have tested negative so far; no additional cases have been detected. Nipah is a zoonotic virus most often spread when food is contaminated by infected fruit bats and can be fatal in up to about 75% of cases, although sustained human-to-human transmission is limited. Following cases in India’s West Bengal, several countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan introduced temperature screening at airports as a precaution. WHO assesses the risk of international spread as 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 Nipah virus infection.
