English-language national news, explainers and fact checks.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for a fresh western disturbance likely to bring heavy snowfall, hailstorms, thunderstorms and gusty winds across parts of North and Central India from January 26, with peak impact expected around January 27.
ICDS in Jaipur has launched ‘Prerna 2.0’ from 19 January to 19 February 2026 to strengthen maternal and child nutrition outcomes across Rajasthan, with a focus on registration, Anganwadi-based service delivery and improved monitoring for pregnant women, young children and adolescent girls.
West Bengal has reported two Nipah virus cases involving healthcare workers, triggering intensified containment measures and monitoring. Authorities have activated outbreak response protocols, including tracing contacts and strengthening infection-control steps, as Nipah is known for severe illness and high risk when transmission occurs.
After suspected Nipah virus cases were detected in West Bengal in January 2026, the Centre deployed a national joint outbreak response team and activated emergency coordination, as states strengthened surveillance and contact tracing.
Hospitals in Kolkata are seeing a spike in cough-and-cold cases as winter temperatures fluctuate, with doctors attributing the rise to a mix of respiratory viruses and seasonal pollution effects. Clinicians have advised symptom-based care and cautioned against unnecessary antibiotic use unless prescribed.
Indian health authorities confirmed Nipah virus cases linked to a hospital near Kolkata, with contact tracing, quarantine and wider surveillance initiated amid concerns over the virus’s high fatality rate.
With concern rising around Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), ICMR has said the virus is already in circulation globally, including India. The agency said current surveillance data does not indicate an unusual nationwide spike in influenza-like illness or severe respiratory illness.