By Charmaine Ndlela
The Department of Health said has said there is no immediate risk to South Africa and no need for public panic following confirmation of two Nipah virus cases in India.
The department said it was working with the NICD, and that scientists had advised the risk outside affected countries was very low, with no need for screening at ports of entry at this stage.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic infectious disease, meaning it is transmitted from animals to humans. Fruit bats have been identified as the natural reservoir of the virus.
The department said it is working closely with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), which is actively monitoring the situation as it develops.
Department of health spokesperson Foster Mohale said South Africa is not currently at risk.
“We are not saying the virus will never spread to South Africa. What we are saying is that, at this moment, the outbreak is contained in specific areas of India, particularly in West Bengal. It is not spread across the entire country,” Mogale told Inside Politics.
“South Africa is geographically far from the affected region, and for now, there is no immediate risk to the country or to other nations outside the affected area. However, anything is possible, which is why we remain vigilant.”
Mogale added that South Africa has strengthened its preparedness following lessons learned from previous outbreaks.
“We learned valuable lessons from our response to COVID-19. Since then, we have developed pandemic prevention and preparedness plans that guide our response when new diseases are detected elsewhere in the world. These plans were effective during the Mpox outbreak, which is why it did not spread further.”
He stressed that while authorities are confident in the country’s preparedness, public cooperation remains essential.
“Our success depends not only on government interventions but also on responsible behaviour by South Africans.”
On 26 January, India’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) of two confirmed Nipah virus cases in West Bengal State. The Indian National Centre for Disease Control confirmed on 27 January that no additional cases had been detected in the state since December 2025 to date.
Nipah virus is regarded as one of the world’s most lethal viruses, with no available vaccine and a fatality rate estimated by the WHO to range between 40% and 75%. The virus can spread through direct contact with infected animals or humans, making rapid detection and isolation critical.
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The disease was first identified in 1998 following an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia. India recorded its first Nipah outbreak in West Bengal in 2001, placing the region among areas with prior exposure to the virus.
At present, no cases linked to the latest outbreak have been reported in any other country.
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