The Nipah virus doesn’t spread as fast as COVID-19, but when it strikes, it kills up to 75% of those infected. First detected on Malaysian pig farms in 1998 and later resurfacing in India and Bangladesh through bats and contaminated date palm sap, Nipah now ranks among the WHO’s “priority pathogens.” This editorial traces its origins, major outbreaks and why, even in 2026, the world remains dangerously exposed.