Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport Tightens Health Screening Amid Nipah Virus Concerns
Denpasar, The Gulf Observer: Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has intensified health screening measures for arriving passengers as a precautionary step to prevent the potential spread of the Nipah virus in the island province.
In a written statement on Wednesday, the airport’s communications representative, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, said all personnel are committed to strengthening monitoring procedures at arrival areas to ensure early detection and prevention of possible infections.
The airport authority is coordinating closely with the Health Ministry’s health quarantine office in Denpasar to implement the screening process. To support these efforts, thermal scanner units have been installed across key terminals, including two units at international arrival terminals, and one unit each at the domestic arrivals and VIP terminals.
Asmadi noted that passengers displaying symptoms will be referred by quarantine officials to Ngoerah Central General Hospital in Denpasar for further medical evaluation.
The airport has also urged travelers to and from Bali to remain vigilant about their health and stay informed regarding the Nipah virus during their journeys. Passengers experiencing symptoms such as fever are advised to report immediately to airport or quarantine officers.
Passenger traffic at the airport has remained high, with an average daily movement of more than 35,000 travelers, according to Asmadi.
The World Health Organization and other health agencies have warned that the Nipah virus can affect the lungs and brain and is transmitted to humans through animals, particularly fruit bats, or via contaminated food. Common symptoms include fever, headache, drowsiness, confusion, and coma, with reported mortality rates exceeding 40 percent among infected patients.
