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Kota Kinabalu: Inanam DAP Chairman Jansen Sai urged the Sabah Government, relevant agencies and the public to heighten vigilance following confirmation by Thai authorities that local fruit bats carry the Nipah virus and the tightening of health screening at international airports.

He said Sabah, as an international tourism gateway and biodiversity-rich state, must adopt a proactive and systematic approach rather than react only after an outbreak of the high-fatality zoonotic disease occurs.

Jansen said the Nipah virus incubation period typically ranges from five to 14 days, with early symptoms including fever, headache, drowsiness, cough and shortness of breath that may rapidly progress to confusion, disorientation and loss of consciousness, with severe cases entering coma within 24 to 48 hours.

Quoting medical studies, he said the fatality rate can reach 50 to 75 per cent, serious cases may develop fatal encephalitis, survivors may suffer long-term neurological complications such as epilepsy, and there is currently no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine.

Patients with respiratory symptoms and the elderly carry a higher transmission risk and that any community spread would place immense pressure on the public healthcare system.

Jansen proposed a comprehensive public health defence system encompassing strengthened health declarations, temperature screening and symptom monitoring at Kota Kinabalu International Airport and major entry points, with immediate isolation, referral and reporting of suspected cases.