Against the backdrop of two confirmed cases of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in West Bengal in India, reported to WHO on 26 January 2026, renewed interest in the epidemiology, clinical management, and public health response to the disease has emerged within the WHO South-East Asia Region and beyond.
In response to this interest, the Community of Practice on Public Health Intelligence in the WHO South-East Asia Region, in collaboration with the Health Emergencies Programme at WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), hosted a webinar on Nipah virus infection on 4th February 2026.
On behalf of WHO SEARO, the webinar was opened by Dr Masaya Kato, Programme Area Manager for Health Information Management, and Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe, Programme Area Manager for Pandemic and Epidemic Management.
Dr Kato introduced the…