September 12, 2025 — Seoul, South Korea — The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has classified Nipah virus infection as a Category 1 infectious disease, the highest alert level under the country’s health laws. The decision follows recent outbreaks in India and Bangladesh, where multiple deaths have been reported.
Under the new policy, all travelers entering South Korea from India and Bangladesh must complete a health declaration. Those who display symptoms such as fever or headache upon arrival are required to immediately report to quarantine officials through the Q-CODE system or a health status questionnaire. Confirmed or suspected patients will undergo mandatory quarantine, contact tracing, and epidemiological investigation.
This marks the first time since the 2020 revision of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act that South Korea has applied a Category 1 classification to a new illness.
Rising Global Concerns
The Nipah virus, carried by fruit bats and pigs, can also spread through contaminated food or direct contact with bodily fluids. The infection has a high fatality rate, ranging from 40% to 75%.
India recorded two deaths last year and four additional cases this year, two of which were fatal. Bangladesh reported five deaths in 2024 and three more fatalities this year. In response, South Korea has officially listed both nations as “quarantine management areas.”
Background on Nipah Virus
The Nipah virus was first identified in 1998 during an outbreak on a pig farm in Malaysia. It belongs to the Henipavirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family and is considered a high-risk pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The disease typically incubates for 4 to 14 days. Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, and headache, but severe cases can progress to confusion, coma, and eventually death.
The WHO has repeatedly stressed the urgent need for vaccine and drug development against Nipah, warning that it could trigger an international public health crisis if left uncontained.
