Two suspected cases of Nipah virus reported from Bengal, Centre deploys response team

The detection of two suspected cases of the deadly Nipah virus at AIIMS Kalyani in West Bengal has triggered a swift and massive public health response from both the Central and State governments. The samples were identified on January 11 at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), prompting the Union Health Ministry to treat the matter with the highest priority. One of the suspected patients reportedly has a recent travel history to Ghugragachi in Nadia district, located near the India-Bangladesh border, raising fears of a localized outbreak.

In immediate response, the Central Government has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to collaborate with the West Bengal State Government in containment efforts. This multidisciplinary team comprises specialists from premier institutions, including the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai. The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi has also been activated to coordinate national surveillance and response measures.

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda personally reached out to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to reiterate the Centre's commitment to providing comprehensive technical, logistical, and operational support. Nadda assured that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, the state’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit has been provided with the latest central guidelines for managing Nipah Virus Disease under a high-priority communicable disease alert.