Phuket airport tightens checks after Nipah outbreak in India
Phuket International Airport has intensified health surveillance for passengers arriving from India following reports of a Nipah virus outbreak there, as concerns also grow among residents and workers in Pattaya, a major tourist hub popular with Indian visitors.
Airport director Monchai Tanode said on Saturday that he had been briefed by quarantine checkpoint staff about the evolving Nipah virus situation in India, News.Az reports, citing Bangkok Post.
According to the airport’s quarantine chief, officials are seeking guidance from the Department of Disease Control on whether additional health measures should be introduced at immigration checkpoints across the country.
Phuket International Airport currently handles between 10,000 and 20,000 arriving passengers daily. Travelers from India rank third among foreign arrivals to the southern island. Overall passenger traffic, including departures, averages between 30,000 and 40,000 people per day.
Mr. Monchai said health officials are closely monitoring passengers arriving from India, particularly those coming from eastern regions such as Kolkata in West Bengal, where the outbreak was recently reported.
The airport is also coordinating with hospitals in Phuket and neighbouring Phangnga to identify whether any Indian passengers have sought medical treatment for symptoms that may be consistent with Nipah infection. Initial symptoms may resemble those of a common flu.
Authorities are also paying special attention to medical evacuation flights carrying patients from India. International communicable disease officials would closely observe such cases, said Mr Monchai.
In the beach town of Pattaya in Chon Buri, some residents and workers have expressed concern following media reports that India has confirmed five Nipah cases and has quarantined nearly 100 people in West Bengal state.
On the Walking Street in South Pattaya, a major nightlife hub popular among visitors from around the world, including many Indians, activity was normal on Saturday, with no special preventive measures observed.
Chatchai Khumchum, 39, a hired vehicle driver, told the Bangkok Post that he was worried but had no choice to continue working with passengers of all nationalities, including Indian tourists. He was alarmed by news of lockdown measures in India as Pattaya hosted a large number of Indian tourists.
As a precaution, he said, he was wearing a face mask, washing his hands frequently and eating only freshly cooked food.
Some residents said they were alarmed by the news, fearing a situation similar to the Covid-19 pandemic, while others remained unconcerned.
Health experts have emphasised that Nipah virus does not spread through respiratory droplets like Covid-19. It is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans through contact with the urine or bodily fluids of infected hosts, primarily fruit bats. Secondary hosts may include pigs, horses, cats, goats and sheep.
Human-to-human transmission is also possible through direct contact with the blood, saliva or bodily fluids of infected people.
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