Acknowledgment
Authors acknowledge the encouragement and support extended by Prof. (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Secretary, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, and Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, Division of Epidemiology & Communicable Diseases, ICMR, New Delhi. Authors acknowledge the Principal Conservators of Forests of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Chandigarh and Puducherry and other concerned officials for their permission to capture bats. Authors are also thankful to Servshri Rajen Lakra, Prasad Sarkale, Pranita Gawande, Kaumudi Kalele, Shrimati Ashwini Waghmare, Nikita Bankar and Shri Sanjay Thorat for providing technical support. Authors acknowledge the contribution of the field team for the hard work performed by Servshri Sanjay Gopale, Annasaheb Suryawanshi, Manjunath Holeppanavar, Ganesh Chopade, Madhav Acharya, D.K. Singh and Sachin Daigude for technical assistance during the study. Financial support & sponsorship: This work was supported by intramural funding by the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi
Conflicts of Interest: None.