The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection.
The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia.
The patient in Bangladesh – aged between 40 and 50 – developed symptoms consistent with Nipah virus on 21 January, including fever and headache followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsion, the WHO added.
She died a week later and was confirmed the day after to be infected with the virus.
The person had no travel history but had a history of consuming raw date palm sap.
The WHO said all 35 people who had contact with the patient were being monitored and had tested negative for the virus, and no further cases had been detected to date.
Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit. It can be fatal in up to 75% of cases, but it does not spread easily between people.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan implemented temperature screenings at airports after India said cases of the virus had been found in West Bengal.
The WHO said the risk of international disease spread was considered low and that it did not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
In 2025, four laboratory-confirmed fatal cases were reported in Bangladesh.
There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specific for the infection.
