02/05/2026 | Lidiane Nóbrega | Fiocruz News Agency

https://agencia.fiocruz.br/fiocruz-atua-na-preparacao-do-sus-para-eventual-resposta-ao-virus-nipah 

In line with the assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MS) regarding the low risk of a pandemic caused by the Nipah virus (NiV), Fiocruz is working to support the preparation of the Unified Health System (SUS) in the areas of diagnosis and care. With two confirmed cases in India and no reports of the virus circulating outside Southeast Asia, the current scenario shows no evidence of international spread or risk to the Brazilian population.

“So far, the virus has only circulated in South and Southeast Asia,” says Tânia Fonseca, coordinator of Health Surveillance and Reference Laboratories at Fiocruz. "Occasionally, there are outbreaks of Nipah. This has already happened in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and currently again in India. The virus is on the WHO's list of priority pathogens, alongside others with probable pandemic potential and/or marked severity," emphasizes Fonseca, explaining that there is no indication of risk in Brazil and that it is Fiocruz's role to keep its structure and team of experts prepared for any possibility.  

In Brazil, the analysis of suspected samples will be centralized at the Laboratory of Respiratory, Exanthematic, Enterovirus, and Viral Emergencies (IOC/Fiocruz), designated as the Ministry of Health's Reference Laboratory for the Nipah virus. The Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI/Fiocruz), in turn, assumes the role of reference hospital unit for assistance in suspected cases.

Zoonotic transmission  

With transmission mainly associated with fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, known as flying foxes, the spillover of the virus and consequent infection can occur through the ingestion of food contaminated by contact with bat saliva or urine or, more rarely, through direct contact between people or with contaminated surfaces. These bats, considered the natural hosts of the Nipah virus, are not present in Brazil.  

The executive coordinator of Fiocruz Mata Atlântica, Ricardo Moratelli, explains that the host species occur in Asia, Oceania, Madagascar, and some regions of Africa. “There are no flying foxes in Brazil or in the Americas. Furthermore, there is no evidence of Nipah virus circulation in the species that occur here in Brazil,” he commented.

The expert also points out that “bats perform important ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, predators of insects that are agricultural pests, or vectors of infectious agents that cause diseases in humans and animals, and, like any other animal group, play an important role in maintaining ecosystems.”  

The operational flow and diagnostic protocols for the Nipah virus were aligned by the Foundation and the Ministry of Health as a preventive measure. The strategic plan, which ensures the availability of diagnostic kits in case of need, was validated by the General Coordination of Public Health Laboratories (CGLAB).