"Dr. Yong" reveals the risk of disease "Nipah virus" in Thailand, along with recommendations for prevention and public health system preparedness.
On 26 Jan 2026, Professor Dr. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Clinical Virology Specialty Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, posted a message titled "Risk and Prevention in Thailand" stating that
"As previously mentioned, Nipah virus is a disease known for nearly 30 years. There has been extensive research, and diagnosis is not complicated. Symptoms include high fever, and the original strain found mainly in Malaysia causes encephalitis. However, recent outbreaks in South Asia, including some countries and India, mostly show lung symptoms and pneumonia without an intermediate host. Infection is transmitted directly from bats to humans, unlike Malaysia where pigs served as the intermediate host between bats and humans."
The disease's transmission rate is relatively low, between 0.2 and 0.8, meaning one patient infects 0.2 to 0.8 others, unlike influenza or COVID-19 which have rates between 1.5 and 2. Since the reproduction number is less than 1, large outbreaks will not occur. Transmission is limited to small clusters, such as within families or among healthcare workers caring for patients.
Outbreaks of this disease occur from Southeast Asia to South Asia because fruit bats, the reservoir, are present. The strains that caused outbreaks in Malaysia and South Asia differ, resulting in different disease characteristics. The strain currently spreading in India is of the South Asian type and mostly transmitted directly from bats through contact or consumption of unboiled palm sap, similar to fresh sap from palm or coconut trees. This is a reminder for Thai people to boil fresh palm sap before drinking. The different strains explain the varying disease patterns.
Key prevention measures in Thailand include avoiding infection from bats by refraining from consuming raw fruit or fruit with bat bite marks, washing and peeling fruit before eating, not drinking raw palm sap or juice that may be contaminated by bats, and controlling bat food sources and habitats to prevent proximity to communities without harming the ecosystem.
Human surveillance involves monitoring patients with acute fever along with neurological or severe respiratory symptoms, focusing on those with a history of wildlife contact or recent travel from high-risk countries (South Asia), and ensuring rapid disease reporting (event-based surveillance).
To prevent human-to-human transmission, suspected patients must be isolated immediately. Hospitals should implement Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures including standard, contact, and droplet precautions. Medical personnel must use personal protective equipment (PPE) properly.
Public health system preparedness includes laboratories capable of confirmatory testing (with appropriate biosafety levels), clear guidelines for disease investigation and outbreak control, and conducting drills for emerging disease response (public health emergency preparedness).
Risk communication to the public involves educating residents in at-risk areas to reduce panic while emphasizing correct preventive behaviors, working with communities (community engagement) to provide accurate information promptly."
Thanks to the Facebook page of Yong Poovorawan