- Test kits, diagnostic capacity in place
Sri Lanka has the necessary test kits and adequate diagnostic capacity in place to respond immediately if a suspected Nipah virus case is identified, Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni told The Sunday Morning yesterday (7), expressing his confidence that the national health systems were prepared to face the threat.
Dr. Wijemuni stressed that despite recent public concern, Sri Lanka faced an extremely low risk of exposure to the Nipah virus and did not require emergency-level preventive measures or heightened vigilance.
He explained that the virus originated from bats and could be transmitted only in two ways – either directly from infected bats or through human-to-human transmission – both of which posed minimal risk to Sri Lanka under current conditions.
He said that fruit bats, the primary carriers of the virus, did not migrate between India and Sri Lanka, making animal-to-human transmission highly unlikely. “The possibility of Nipah virus transmission in Sri Lanka through bats is extremely low, almost non-existent,” he said.
Addressing the possibility of human-to-human transmission, Dr. Wijemuni said such cases were rare and unlikely to result in cross-border spread. He explained that transmission through saliva occurred only when the infection had progressed to encephalitis, a severe inflammation of the brain. “At that stage, patients experience serious symptoms such as unconsciousness and altered mental states, making international travel virtually impossible,” he said.
Although limited cases of human-to-human transmission have been documented globally, Dr. Wijemuni pointed out that direct transmission from bats remained statistically more common, though still negligible in the Sri Lankan context.
He further emphasised that the Nipah virus had never been classified as a global epidemic and urged the public not to panic. “There is no need for containment measures or extreme responses,” he said.
Dr. Wijemuni also highlighted Sri Lanka’s ongoing viral surveillance efforts, noting that monthly studies were conducted at around 20 locations across the country to monitor circulating viruses and ensure early detection of emerging threats. “To date, the Nipah virus has not been detected in Sri Lanka,” he confirmed.
Given these factors, he stressed that there was no justification for imposing strict quarantine measures or enhanced airport screening, as severe cases would be identified through routine medical assessments and were unlikely to involve international travel.