Australian government 'monitoring' Nipah virus closely
Australian authorities are taking the possible threat from the deadly Nipah virus "very seriously", Health Minister Mark Butler says.
He told Today this morning the federal government was monitoring the situation extremely closely after biosecurity measures for international travellers were tightened at Asian airports.
"We have very clear protocols for sick travellers as they're coming in from wherever they might be coming across the globe," said Butler.
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Nipah virus is frequently fatal and can leave survivors with brain damage. NIAID
"We've got no advice to change those protocols at this stage, but we're monitoring really on a daily basis."
He was speaking after two health workers in India last December contracted the illness, which has a high mortality rate.
To date, a range of nearly 200 of their contacts have been asymptomatic.
The Nipah virus, first recorded in 1999 in Malaysia, is a virus natively found in bats that can be transferred to other animals and humans.
It can also be transferred to humans via food, including fruit.
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Quarantine doctors watch thermal scanning of travellers at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn, Thailand, on Sunday, January 25, 2026. (Public relations department of Suvarnabhumi International Airport via AP) AP
Butler says human-to-human transmission of the virus was very difficult.
"But if you do get it, the mortality rate is very, very high between 40 per cent and 75 per cent," he said.
"So we're taking it seriously."
The Nipah virus is chiefly found in south-east Asian countries including Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Singapore, though signs of the virus in bats have also been found in Indonesia and as far flung as Ghana.
While there is no Nipah virus vaccination, the Australian Centre for Disease Control advises travellers heading to places where the disease has been detected to take steps to protect themselves.
They include following good hygiene protocols and avoiding contact with animals, especially monkeys and bats.
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