Hongkongers urged to avoid India’s West Bengal amid Nipah virus outbreak
Bengali community members expected to delay planned trips to India until situation improves, local leader says
Hongkongers should avoid travelling to West Bengal, which is battling an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus, an infectious diseases expert has warned, with an Indian community leader in the city predicting a short-term impact on family and business trips.
The community leader also sought to reassure the public, dismissing fears that the outbreak in India would significantly affect Hong Kong in the long term.
“There is a large and thriving Bengali community in Hong Kong. Those who are planning trips might postpone them until they see what the situation is,” Vishal Melwani, vice-president of the India Association Hong Kong, told the Post on Tuesday.
India is battling a fresh outbreak of the Nipah virus, with authorities there providing a new update on Tuesday that two confirmed cases were recorded in West Bengal since December while 196 contacts had tested negative.
Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Monday that preliminary information indicated a hospital in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, had recorded five confirmed cases since mid-January involving healthcare workers, while about 100 close contacts had been quarantined.
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What is Nipah virus and why has an outbreak in India sparked concern in China?
The zoonotic virus can be transmitted to humans from animals such as bats or pigs, or through contaminated food. It can also be spread directly from person to person.