Due to a significant increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting Bali, the Bali Health Authority has asked hospitals and community health centers to increase surveillance in preparation for a possible threat of the Nipah virus.
Republika quoted I Nyoman Gede Anom, head of Bali’s provincial health department, as saying his organization has taken steps to cooperate with the port health department. to thoroughly screen all visitors to Bali, especially those coming from countries where there have been cases of the Nipah virus in the past.
“In accordance with the directive of the Ministry of Health, we must remain vigilant regarding the threat of Nipah virus,” he said said yesterday.
Indian tourists formed the second largest foreign visitor group to Bali between January and August 2023, with a total of 288,873 visits, according to statistics from the Bali Provincial Tourism Board.
“There are temperature detection equipment available at the airport. If it turns out that a tourist has a body temperature that is higher than normal, this will lead to further investigation.” Anom stated.
Anom further underlined the need to refer people with fever and acute respiratory infection (ARI) traveling from countries where Nipah virus is endemic immediately to a hospital for a thorough examination.
“Specifically for the Nipah virus, we have put together a team of neurologists, surgeons and other specialists as this virus targets the brain,” he said.
He emphasized that the Nipah virus has not yet been found on Indonesian territory and that serious efforts are being made to prevent its introduction, especially in Bali.
“Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant due to the incubation period, which may lead to a lack of fever upon arrival at the airport,” he added.
In light of this, his office has emphasized in notices to all community health centers and clinics and in orders to hospitals that visitors from areas where Nipah virus is endemic and who show signs of ARI should be hospitalized.
“We are also required to immediately report identified cases of Nipah virus to the Ministry of Health. Subsequently, a team from the Ministry of Health will conduct a re-evaluation of the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid,” he confirmed.
Nipah virus is known to be transmissible from human to human, in addition to zoonotic transmission through animals such as bats and pigs.
Contact with biological fluids such as urine and saliva, samples, or consumption of spoiled food can all cause this.
