Tourists Entering Bali Will Be Screened For Nipah Virus

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In light of India’s current outbreak of the Nipah Virus, all tourists arriving in Bali will be screened as a part of increased health protocols at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Following a circular letter from Indonesia’s Ministry of Health last week, health officials in Bali have outlined their response to the national guidance.

Last week, Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and the Department for Disease Prevention and Control published Circular Letter Number HK.02.02/C/4022/2023, which outlines risks, mitigation, and guidelines for health professionals throughout the country.

The letter was published as a result of an outbreak of the Nipah Virus in the Indian state of Kerala.

Speaking from Denpasar the Head of the Bali Provincial Health Service, I Nyoman Gee Anom, has issued fresh statements to the public and health officials on the island.

He shared, “In accordance with directions from the Ministry of Health we must be alert to the threat of the Nipah Virus.”

@freedomtillvalhalla 🚨𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐔𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐇 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 ‼️𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 💥𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 💥𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 💥𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 💥𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 💥𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒 ⁉️𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐇 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐒, 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃? 💥𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖💥 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐇 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠! #BREAKING #NEWS #HappeningNow #BreakingNews #nipah #nipahvirus #lockdownlife #lockdown #comply #getreadyforwhatstocome #sayno #timetostand ♬ original sound – FreedomTilVahalla

He continued, “At the airport there is a temperature detection device. If a tourist’s temperature is found to be above normal, it will be followed up with an interview.”

If the tourist is found to have recently traveled to an area where the Nipah Virus is in circulation and has symptoms including a raised temperature and an acute respiratory tract infection, they will be transferred to a hospital for a complete assessment. 

@mrjeep Finally can use this sound for my video 😳 Beautiful Bali 🇮🇩 #bali #airportngurahraibali #indonesia #vacation #landing #fyp ♬ Landing di Bali – Faizal Maulana

Anom added that medical teams in Bali have been briefed about the Nipah Virus and that a response plan is in place should the virus arrive in Indonesia.

He confirmed that the virus has not yet been discovered in Indonesia and he hopes that it stays that way. 

Anom told reporters, “Especially for Nipah Virus, a team of neurologists, surgeons, and so on have been prepared because the virus can attack the brain.”

In more serious cases, Nipah Virus can develop into fatal encephalitis. 

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Though not panicked, Anom has expressed his concerns about the lengthening incubation period of the virus.

He said, “We have to be careful because many Indian tourists go to Bali. I’m afraid because there is a certain incubation period maybe you don’t have a fever at the airport.” 

According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period for Nipah Virus can range from 4-14 days though in some rarer cases the incubation period of 45 days has been documented.

In some cases, the Nipah Virus is symptomatic or shows symptoms very similar to that of the flu. 

The World Health Organization noted that initial symptoms usually present as fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, and/or a sore throat.

As the virus progresses, symptoms such as dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and other neurological signs indicate acute encephalitis.

Difficulty breathing and acute respiratory infection are also other symptoms of the Nipah Virus. 

Nipah Virus can be tested using an RT-PCR Test and ELISA testing. There is no vaccine for the virus and no specific drugs either.

The natural host for the Nipah Virus is fruit bats that are native to Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. The virus has also been detected in some species of fruit bats found in Africa. 

The virus has also been known to transfer from animal to human from domesticated animals like horses, goats, sheep, cats, and dogs. 

The virus passes from animal to human through contact with saliva, urine, or consuming contaminated food. This most commonly occurs when people eat fruit that has been in contact with fruit bats.

The alarm about the virus was raised in early September when two people died of the virus in the state of Kerala in India.

Though WHO have confirmed no new cases of the virus have been detected in the region since September 15th. 

Tjok Bagus Pemayun, the Head of the Bali Tourism Board, has said that no further preventative steps need to be implemented at this time.

He told reporters over the weekend, “We don’t have any specifics with dealing with or handling tourists from India.”

There are currently no direct flights from India to Bali, though there are direct routes from India to Jakarta.

Pemayun added that the public must all play a role in ensuring optimal health. He concluded, “when we don’t feel well, wear a mask, that’s standard health protocol.”