Nipah virus infection is a newly recognized emerging viral zoonosis that causes severe disease in both humans and animals.The disease was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak among the pig farmers in Malaysia resulting in many human deaths making it a public health concern. Outbreaks of Nipah virus disease has been reported in Bangladesh, India and Singapore. Pigs can act as amplifying host and the fruit bats of the genus Pteropus serve as the reservoir of Nipah virus.Transmission of virus from the infected pigs to humans usually occur in an occupational settings. Diagnosis can be confirmed by virus isolation, immunohistochemistry, serum neutralization, ELISA and RT-PCR. Humans may also be infected from bats via the contaminated fruit or juice. Domestic animals may get infected mainly by contract with diseased pigs. Protective clothing, pasteurization of date palm juice, thorough cleaning of fruits, proper hand washing,precautions during the collection and shipping of clinical samples, appropriate bio-security and health education to the public will certainly help in the control of Nipah disease. It is emphasized that an animal health surveillance system should be established to detect new cases in order to provide an early warning for the veterinary and human health authorities.