Outbreak prone communicable diseases of public health importance in the northern districts of West Bengal – Current status & the way forward

India is perilously poised on the threshold of an explosion of infectious diseases, some of which have witnessed re-emergence while others await apposite opportunity to do so. The State of West Bengal is uniquely positioned with its innate geographical vulnerabilities that favour outbreaks of a host of infectious diseases. The northern districts of this State are well known endemic areas for many outbreak prone communicable diseases like malaria, Japanese encephalitis, scrub typhus, dengue and kala-azar. An outbreak of Nipah virus in the recent past is a pointer towards the emerging and re-emerging threat in these regions and warrants urgent prioritization for surveillance and monitoring of these diseases. Identification of risk factors, challenges in delivery of primary healthcare, implementation of intervention strategies along with strengthening of healthcare setup are also the need of the hour. Multisectoral initiatives with emphasis on understanding the complex and rapidly evolving human-animal-vector dynamics as envisaged under the ‘One Health’ concept are indubitably important pillars in the effective management of these emerging public health challenges.