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NEW DELHI: A National Joint Outbreak Response Team was rushed to West Bengal after two suspected cases of Nipah virus disease were identified on Sunday at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) of the Indian Council of Medical Research at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Kalyani. Given Nipah’s high fatality rate and potential for rapid spread, the situation is being handled on priority by both the union amd state governments. Soon after the alert, the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, reviewed the situation with senior state officials to ensure quick, coordinated containment measures.A National Joint Outbreak Response Team, which comprises experts from the All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene, the National Institute of Virology, the National Institute of Epidemiology, AIIMS Kalyani, and the Department of Wildlife under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was rushed to the state to assess the situation.Central guidelines on Nipah virus disease have been shared with the state’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), while the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi, has been activated to steer the national response.Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has assured West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of full central support. Authorities said enhanced surveillance, laboratory backup, infection control measures and rigorous contact tracing are already underway.Officials said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation with the state government as investigations and containment efforts continue.
