Suspected Nipah cases in West Bengal prompt Centre to deploy national outbreak response team: report
After suspected Nipah virus cases were identified in West Bengal on 11 January 2026, the Centre deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to assist the state with containment, surveillance and public health measures, according to a report.
National response team sent to West Bengal after suspected Nipah detection
The Centre deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to West Bengal after suspected Nipah virus disease cases were identified, according to a report. The suspected cases were detected on 11 January 2026 at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at AIIMS Kalyani.
Given Nipah’s high mortality and the potential for rapid spread, officials said the situation was being handled with priority. The report said the central health leadership engaged with state authorities to coordinate containment steps and strengthen public health response capacity.
Multi-institution team to support containment and surveillance
The deployed team includes experts from multiple institutions, including the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai, AIIMS Kalyani and other public health and wildlife-linked bodies, the report said. The objective is to assist the state government with outbreak investigation, infection control and risk communication.
The report also said central guidelines on Nipah Virus Disease were shared with the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), aligning surveillance and reporting so that suspected cases can be identified quickly and contacts can be traced and monitored.
Public health measures emphasise rapid action and infection control
Nipah is a zoonotic infection and is treated as a high-risk event due to severity and outbreak potential. The report indicates that containment measures focus on strict infection prevention protocols in healthcare settings, enhanced laboratory support, rigorous contact tracing and close monitoring of symptomatic contacts.
Authorities have urged the public to follow official advisories and avoid panic, while health systems remain on alert for clusters. The national team’s support is aimed at ensuring coordinated action, quick escalation of resources where needed and consistent public health messaging across agencies.