Pakistan has ordered strict and enhanced health surveillance at all points of entry as Asian countries intensify border controls following the confirmation of two Nipah virus cases in India.
The measures reflect a widening regional response rather than a new outbreak, with authorities emphasizing prevention, surveillance, and reassurance amid heightened public attention.
Pakistan’s Border Health Services department directed that all travelers entering through airports, seaports, and land borders undergo thermal screening and clinical assessment.
Travelers are required to provide a complete travel and transit history for the preceding 21 days, particularly to identify movement through Nipah-affected or high-risk regions.
Officials said, "It has become imperative to strengthen preventative and surveillance measures at Pakistan's borders."
No individual will be allowed entry without health clearance, and suspected cases must be immediately isolated and managed under infection prevention protocols.
The decision aligns Pakistan with other Asian jurisdictions, including Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which have tightened airport screening.
Vietnam has expanded temperature screening at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi and at international border crossings in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on arrivals from India and West Bengal.
Authorities said the screening allows for timely isolation and epidemiological investigation, signaling an escalation of existing precautions across the region.
Indian health authorities have maintained that the situation remains contained, with no evidence of wider transmission.
The two confirmed cases in West Bengal involve health workers, with one patient recovering and the other remaining in critical condition.
India’s health ministry reported that 196 contacts were traced, all of whom tested negative and showed no symptoms.
"There is no outbreak, there were just two cases in one district in (West) Bengal and there is no spread," an Indian federal health ministry official said.
Officials reiterated that there are no plans to introduce airport screening within India, despite neighboring countries screening Indian passengers.
Nipah virus is a rare but often severe infection that can cause fever and brain inflammation and carries a high fatality rate.
While Pakistan has reported no cases, health authorities described the regional risk as emerging and said enhanced vigilance would remain in force until further notice.