West Bengal: 2 Suspected Nipah Virus Cases, Centre Deploys Response Team

New Delhi: Two suspected cases of Nipah virus disease have been identified at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), ICMR, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal.

Taking immediate action, the central government has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to support the State Government in containment and public health response measures, according to official sources.

The team comprises experts from the All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene, Kolkata; the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune; the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai; AIIMS Kalyani; and the Department of Wildlife, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, held discussions with the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Health), Government of West Bengal, to review the situation and ensure swift and coordinated action.

Central Government guidelines on Nipah Virus Disease under the Communicable Disease Alert have been shared with the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit. In addition, the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, has been activated to coordinate the national response.

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, has written to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, assuring full support from the Government of India. Nadda also spoke to the Chief Minister over the telephone and reiterated the Centre's commitment to extend all necessary assistance to the State in managing the situation, according to sources.

"The Government of India is providing comprehensive technical, logistical and operational support to the State Government. All essential resources, including laboratory support, enhanced surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control measures, and expert guidance, have already been mobilised.

The State has been advised to ensure close coordination with the deployed expert teams and to undertake meticulous contact tracing and other containment measures," the sources said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Government of West Bengal.

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