Thailand lab ready to test for Nipah virus within 8 hours

2026-01-25 - 21:06

BANGKOK — 25 January 2026, Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences says it is ready to conduct RT-PCR testing to detect Nipah virus, with results available within eight hours, amid concerns about possible human-to-human transmission through contact with bodily fluids. Dr. Sarawut Boonsuk, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences under the Ministry of Public Health, said on Saturday that Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans, primarily through contact with animal waste or bodily fluids. The main natural hosts are fruit bats, particularly flying foxes, while other animals that can be infected include pigs, horses, cats, goats and sheep. He said the virus can also spread from person to person through direct contact with an infected patient’s bodily fluids, such as blood or saliva. The disease was first identified in 1998 among pig farmers in the village of Nipah in Malaysia, which gave the virus its name. Recent cases have been reported in India, while Thailand has so far recorded no confirmed infections, he said. Dr. Sarawut said the incubation period for Nipah virus infection is typically four to 14 days but can extend to as long as one month. Early symptoms resemble influenza, including high fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. Some patients may develop respiratory symptoms or encephalitis, along with neurological signs such as dizziness, unsteady walking, drowsiness, confusion, seizures, abnormal eye movements or limb twitching. Severe cases can be fatal. He said the Department of Medical Sciences, through the National Institute of Health, which serves as the country’s reference laboratory for disease diagnosis, is fully equipped to test for Nipah virus using real-time RT-PCR, a method with high sensitivity and specificity. Samples can be taken from various sources, including blood, throat and nasal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid and urine, with at least two types of specimens required. Test results can be reported within eight hours of sample receipt, he said. There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for Nipah virus, and care is supportive. Authorities therefore urged the public to take preventive measures, including avoiding contact with reservoir animals and potential carriers, thoroughly washing fruit before consumption, and washing hands with soap after handling animals, meat or animal carcasses, especially bats, pigs, horses, cats, goats and sheep. Dr. Sarawut said hospitals can submit samples from suspected Nipah virus patients, those with high fever and a history of animal contact, consumption of potentially contaminated fruit, or recent travel from outbreak areas, for testing and consultation. Further information is available from the Department of Medical Sciences’ Service Centre and the Laboratory Disease Surveillance and Analysis Coordination Centre at the National Institute of Health in Nonthaburi province. Contact numbers are 02-951-1485 and 02-951-0000 ext. 98340.