The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said South Africa has not recorded any cases of the Nipah virus.
Dr Jacqueline Weyer from the NICD said the virus is not a new infection, outbreaks have historically been associated with high fatality cases.
The Department of Health said it is closely monitoring the outbreak of Nipah virus, also known as NiV.
This follows the detection of two cases in India.
The virus is a zoonotic illness, transmitted to people from animals, and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person.
But recent outbreaks in Bangladesh and India, were from the consumption of fruits or fruit products, such as raw date palm juice, through contamination with urine or saliva.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) news, the outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore, resulted from direct contact with sick pigs or their contaminated tissues.
Transmission is thought to have occurred via unprotected exposure to secretions from the pigs, or unprotected contact with the tissue of a sick animal.
Foster Mohale, Spokesperson of the Department of Health, said there is currently no treatment or vaccine available for this virus; but, the WHO said several candidate products are under development.
He also said hygiene practices remain one of the most effective prevention methods to reduce the spread of the virus.
“People can reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission by wearing gloves and other protective clothing while handling sick animals such as pigs, horses, or during slaughtering and culling procedures.”