00:00Indian authorities say they've contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirmed
00:05two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal. India's health ministry said on
00:10Tuesday that two cases were detected since December, adding that all identified contacts
00:14had been
00:15quarantined and tested. The ministry did not release details about the patients but
00:20said that close to 200 contacts had been traced and all tested negative. The virus has
00:25an estimated fatality rate of between 40 and 75 percent according to the world
00:30health organization, making it far more deadly than the coronavirus.
00:35There were no reported cases of the virus outside of India, but several Asian countries introduced
00:40a reinforced screening measures at airports as a precaution. Indonesia and Thailand
00:45were two of those countries who conducted temperature checks and visual monitoring for
00:49passengers.
00:50There were no passengers arriving from West Bengal since the outbreak was declared. Myanmar
00:55Vietnam and China also beefed up disease prevention measures, including advising
01:00the virus.
01:00against non-essential travel, stricter food safety practices, and enhanced training.
01:05And testing capabilities for medical staff.
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