ALAPPUZHA: Kerala is not equipped to conduct lab tests for epidemics like Nipah virus and has to depend on institutes outside the state causing delay in taking preventive steps. A unit of the National Institute of Virology here which was started in 2008 in the wake of rising epidemics conducts tests only for viral fever, dengue and chikungunya. It functions in a 3,000 square-feet area with sophisticated equipment and has 15 permanent and eight temporary staff. But staff shortage has severely affected tests delaying treatment.
Last year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the establishment of an Institute of Advanced Virology' (IAV) by the state government on the campus of KSIDC Life Science Park at Thonnakkal, Thiruvanan-thapuram district. The Kerala Biotechnology Commission (KBC) and Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) have been entrusted with establishing the institute.
Dr. N. Sulphi, state secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA), said that though the state claims to be a global model in healthcare, it still depends on labs in other states to get test results. “In many cases, doctors wait for several days to get the lab results. The NIV unit in Alappuzha should be made fully functional,” he demanded. Dr. D. T. Mourya, director, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had told this newspaper in December last that the expanded NIV unit in Kerala would be operational within two years. The expansion works began after the central government approved Rs 34.5 cr in 2015.
An official with the NIV unit here said that the tests of type-4 viruses like Nipah can be conducted only in Pune since Kerala has no such facilities. “There is no need for multiple units for testing type-4 viruses. If the expansion of the unit here is realised, Kerala will have facility to test viruses up to type-III that include monkey fever and bird flu. According to Mr G.M. Nair, advisor, KBC and KSCSTE, the state-funded IAV will initiate advanced research in virology and maintain global standards with modern laboratories.
