New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) Two suspected cases of Nipah virus disease, listed as a high-priority pathogen by the WHO, have been identified in West Bengal, according to official sources on Monday.

The cases were identified on Sunday at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), ICMR, AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal.

The sources noted that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation in the state, with Union Minister JP Nadda writing to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, “assuring full support.”

The Health Minister also spoke to the Chief Minister over the telephone and reiterated “Centre’s commitment to extend all necessary assistance to the State in managing the situation”.

Even as Nipah is a zoonotic disease with high mortality and potential for rapid spread, the situation is being handled with utmost priority by the Central government, the sources said.

“Immediately upon receipt of information, 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,” the sources said.

“A National Joint Outbreak Response Team has been deployed to support the State Government in containment and public health response measures,” they added.

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

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 also been activated to coordinate the national response.

The Centre is also providing comprehensive technical, logistical and operational support to the State.

“All essential resources, including laboratory support, enhanced surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control measures, and expert guidance, have already been mobilised,” the sources said.

“The State has been advised to ensure close coordination with the deployed expert teams and to undertake meticulous contact tracing and other containment measures,” they added.

Nipah virus disease is an emerging zoonotic infectious disease caused by the Nipah virus (NiV). It can cause acute encephalitis, severe respiratory illness, and, in many cases, death.

First discovered in 1999 in Malaysia, the Nipah virus (NiV) causes yearly outbreaks throughout south and southeast Asia, especially in India, with associated mortality rates of 40–75 per cent.

–IANS

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