Thisepidemiological bulletin aims to providethe situation of key infectiousdiseases intheWHOSouth-East AsiaRegionto inform risk assessmentsand responses. The bulletin usesinformation from publicly availablesources and Key events and updates......................................................................................................................2India (West Bengal): Nipah virus infection...............................................................................................................2Call for public comment: Considerations for surveillance, monitoring and investigations during an influenzapandemic..................................................................................................................................................................3New publication: WHO guidance on the use of licensed human influenza A(H5) vaccines for the interpandemicand emergence periods............................................................................................................................................3Influenza............................................................................................................................................4Situation in the WHO South-East Asia Region..........................................................................................................4COVID-19............................................................................................................................................6Situation in the WHO South-East Asia Region..........................................................................................................6Mpox.................................................................................................................................................8Situation in the WHO South-East Asia Region..........................................................................................................8Dengue.............................................................................................................................................10Situation in the WHO South-East Asia Region........................................................................................................10Bangladesh.............................................................................................................................................................11India........................................................................................................................................................................12Maldives..................................................................................................................................................................14Nepal.......................................................................................................................................................................14Sri Lanka..................................................................................................................................................................15Thailand..................................................................................................................................................................16 Key eventsand updates India(West Bengal):Nipah virus infection Situation overview as on 13 January 2026 •On 12 January 2026, official sources reported two suspected cases of Nipah virus infection in West Bengal, India•The suspected cases wereidentifiedon 11 January at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory of the IndianCouncil of Medical Research (ICMR) atAll India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) inKalyani.•Both suspected patients are currently under treatment and are being closely monitored by a specialized medicalteam.•Preliminary investigations indicate that the patients may have been exposed to the virus during a work-relatedvisit to Purba Bardhaman district. Response •The West Bengal Government has implemented precautionary measures to prevent further spread.•A National Joint Outbreak Response Team was sent to West Bengal to support the containment of the disease.•The Centre is providing comprehensive technical, logistical, and operational support to the State Governmentfor effective outbreak management and prevention. Call for public comment: Considerations forsurveillance, monitoring and investigations during aninfluenza pandemic4 •WHO welcomes input from Member States, public health authorities, partners, researchers, and technicalexperts involved in influenza epidemiology, surveillance,vaccination, clinical care, risk communication, and •The types and sources of data needed for decision-making will evolve throughout a pandemic, depending onthe context, objectives and key questions at each stage. No single surveillance approach can address all publichealth questions. A flexible mix of surveillance approaches, investigations and specialized studies is