Nipah virus: New cases trigger alert, as scientists uncover how it disarms human defences | 2 Feb 2026 | Health authorities across South and Southeast Asia are on high alert over renewed concerns about the Nipah virus, one of the world’s most lethal zoonotic pathogens, following reports of human cases in West Bengal, India. With fatality rates previously reported between 40% and 75% and no approved vaccines or treatments for humans, Nipah is a major public health threat and is identified by organisations such as the World Health Organisation as a priority pathogen for medical countermeasures to respond to epidemics and pandemics. As public health officials focus on containment and surveillance, research from Australian scientists is shining a light on how Nipah, and its viral relatives, are able to control the cells they infect in animals and humans, and how these processes may be stopped through new antiviral strategies. [Do not comply.]