An outbreak of the Nipah virus in the Indian state of West Bengal is raising concern in parts of Asia, leading some airports to implement precautionary health screenings.

So far, five confirmed infections, including among doctors and nurses, have led to a quarantine of 100 people and the hospitalization of others at various medical facilities in Kolkata, according to the Times of India.

Three Thai airports that receive flights from West Bengal have started screening passengers on arrival. Nepal has also begun screening travellers at the Kathmandu airport and land border crossings with India, the BBC reported.

2:09 Concerned about Nipah virus? Here’s what to know about the infection, how doctors rate risk in Canada

India’s health ministry says 196 people known to have been in contact with the infected individuals have tested negative, according to the outlet.

What is Nipah virus?

Nipah virus, which can be deadly, is transmitted through several pathways, including from animals to humans — primarily through fruit bats — via contaminated food, or directly between humans and can cause anything from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Human‑to‑human transmission occurs through close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

0:39 What is the deadly virus in India being transferred through fruit bats?

Although the Nipah virus has caused only a few known outbreaks in Asia, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern, according to the WHO.

Infected people generally develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and a sore throat.

Some may experience respiratory issues, including shortness of breath, coughing, and, in more severe cases, pneumonia. This can be accompanied by dizziness, drowsiness and altered consciousness, which may indicate a more complex neurological infection.

The most serious symptoms affecting the central nervous system include seizures, coma and the inability to breathe.

The incubation period is believed to range from four to 14 days, but the WHO has reported an incubation period of up to 45 days.

How deadly is the virus?

Nipah virus has a death rate ranging from 45 to 75 per cent, and there is no vaccine or medical treatment available for animals or humans.

In December 2025, researchers at the University of Oxford, in partnership with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, launched the world’s first phase two clinical trial of a Nipah virus vaccine involving 306 healthy participants aged 18 to 55.

Most people who survive acute encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain tissue, make a full recovery, though the WHO has reported long-term neurologic conditions in survivors.

Some may also develop meningitis.

Approximately 20 per cent of patients who recover from Nipah virus are left with residual neurological symptoms, such as seizure disorders, and may experience personality changes. A small number of people who recover relapse subsequently or develop delayed-onset encephalitis.

The main course of treatment for humans is supportive care. The virus is described by WHO as a “priority disease” with an “urgent need for accelerated research and development.”

In 2018, at least three people in southern India died after becoming infected with the virus. They were all from the same family.

Where are the outbreaks?

Nipah was first identified during a 1999 outbreak in Malaysia. Since then, outbreaks have been reported in parts of South Asia, including Singapore, as well as in northeast India and Bangladesh. Nipah virus has never been reported or found in Canada.

VANCOUVER – Another injury-plagued season has ended for Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko.

The NHL team announced Tuesday that the star netminder is set to undergo season-ending hip surgery next week.

“After consulting with our team doctors and outside specialists, Thatcher Demko will be shut down for the rest of the year,” general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement.

“Thatcher will undergo surgery next week for an injury unrelated to the one that kept him out of action last season. Following his rehab, he will be ready for the start of training camp in September.”

The 30-year-old goaltender has not played since Jan. 10 when he left midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto, but Canucks head coach Adam Foote said he’s been dealing with the injury for much longer.

“It’s tough to watch him go through what he’s gone through. He’s fought through it for a while now,” Foote said Tuesday.

Demko went 8-10-1 with a .897 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout this season.

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He missed 12 games between mid-November and mid-December with a lower-body injury, then returned and appeared in 10 more contests before going down against Toronto.

The Canucks have known for a few weeks that Demko was unlikely to play again this season, and Tuesday’s announcement didn’t catch the team by surprise, Foote said, noting that he had a long conversation with the goalie.

“I think it’s a relief for him and the group,” the coach said. “What I like about it is his demeanour … he was happy it was the thing that could probably make him feel a lot better and keep him moving forward, playing hockey.”

Demko was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top netminder, in 2023-24 after going 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts.

The six-foot-four, 192-pound goalie from San Diego, Cali., suffered a knee injury in Game 1 of Vancouver’s first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators that season.

He did not play again until Dec. 10, 2024, and struggled to stay healthy through much of last season, playing just 23 games and posting a 10-8-3 record with a .889 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout.

Demko went on to sign a three-year, US$25.5-million extension on July 1.

The goalie’s season-ending surgery is the latest injury to mar an ugly season for the Canucks.

Vancouver heads into Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks sitting in last place in the NHL standings with a 17-30-5 record and five players on injured reserve.

The list also includes centre Marco Rossi (lower body), winger Brock Boeser (concussion), and defencemen Zeev Buium (facial fracture) and Derek Forbot (undisclosed).

Boeser and Buium were added on Monday after both were hurt in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Boeser caught an elbow to the head from Penguins winger Bryan Rust in the final moments of the game. The NHL’s department of player safety handed Rust a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Tuesday.

Foote said Boeser remains in concussion protocol but was feeling better on Monday.

Buium was hit in the face with a puck in the first period on Sunday, but returned wearing a bubble visor on his helmet and logged 15:41 in ice time.

“I love his toughness,” Foote said of the young blue liner playing with the injury.

After the game, a doctor determined Buium had a facial fracture, probably in his cheek bone, the coach said.

He is not expected to need surgery, but will likely be out until after the NHL’s Olympic break, Foote added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.

But it’s hardly a clean break.

The U.S. owes about $280 million to the global health agency, according to WHO. And Trump administration officials acknowledge that they haven’t finished working out some issues, such as lost access to data from other countries that could give America an early warning of a new pandemic.

The withdrawal will hurt the global response to new outbreaks and will hobble the ability of U.S. scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and medicines against new threats, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.

“In my opinion, it’s the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime,” he said.

2:08 Trump administration considering WHO reform, report says

The WHO is the United Nations’ specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the response to global health threats, such as outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio.

It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries; helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments; and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.

Nearly every country in the world is a member.

U.S. officials helped lead the WHO’s creation, and America has long been among the organization’s biggest donors, providing hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.

On average, the U.S. pays $111 million a year in member dues to the WHO and roughly $570 million more in annual voluntary contributions, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In an executive order issued right after taking office, Trump said the U.S. was withdrawing from WHO due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises.

He also cited the agency’s “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and its “inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”

2:06 WHO responds to Trump’s “regrettable” decision to withdraw the US

WHO, like other public health organizations, made costly mistakes during the pandemic, including at one point advising people against wearing masks. It also asserted that COVID-19 wasn’t airborne, a stance it didn’t officially reverse until 2024.

Another Trump administration complaint: None of WHO’s chief executives — there have been nine since the organization was created in 1948 — have been Americans.

Administration officials view that as unfair given how much the WHO relies on U.S. financial contributions and on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention personnel.

Experts say the U.S. exit could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.

1:52 Global calls for unity as U.S. cuts ties with WHO

Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, called the U.S. withdrawal “shortsighted and misguided” and “scientifically reckless.”

The U.S. has ceased official participation in WHO-sponsored committees, leadership bodies, governance structures and technical working groups. That would seem to include the WHO group that assesses what flu strains are circulating and makes critical decisions about updating flu shots.

It also signals the U.S. is no longer participating in global flu information-sharing that guides vaccine decisions.

Such disease intelligence has helped Americans be “at the front of the line” when new outbreaks occur and new vaccines and medicines are quickly needed to counteract them and save lives, Gostin said.

Trump administration officials say they already have public health relationships with many countries and are working to ensure direct sharing of that kind of information, rather than having WHO serve as a middleman. But U.S. officials did not give specifics about how many such arrangements are in place.

Gostin, an expert on international public health treaties and collaborations, said it’s unlikely the U.S. will reach agreements with more than a couple dozen countries.

Many emerging viruses are first spotted in China, but “is China going to sign a contract with the United States?” Gostin said. “Are countries in Africa going to do it? Are the countries Trump has slapped with a huge tariff going to send us their data? The claim is almost laughable.”

Gostin also believes Trump overstepped his authority in pulling out of WHO. The U.S. joined the organization through an act of Congress and it is supposed to take an act of Congress to withdraw, he argued.

The U.S. is legally required to give notice one year in advance of withdrawal — which it did — but also to pay any outstanding financial obligations.

The U.S. has not paid any of its dues for 2024 and 2025, leaving a balance of about $280 million at current exchange rates, according to WHO.

An administration official denied that requirement Thursday, saying the U.S. had no obligation to pay prior to withdrawing as a member.