Kochi: Learning a lesson from outbreak of Nipah disease, experts have called for revival of the state Virology Institute at Alappuzha and develop it as a ‘Health Protective Agency’ of the state. “The disease outbreak took us by surprise. Though the administration and the doctor community rose to the occasion and managed the crisis well, it shows we need to have a full-fledged virology research institute to prevent environmental and social causes of such disease outbreaks,” said Dr Jacob John, eminent virologist and retired HoD, Department of Clinical Virology, Vellore Christian Medical College.
The Kochi-based Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Movement has written to the Chief Minister to revive the Kerala State Institute of Virology and Infectious Diseases, set up in 1999 with an aim to control infectious diseases. “Currently the institute is on the verge of closure and no major research activity is being done. It has only a lab technician and a last grade servant. Even the service of a virologist is not being made available there since the past many years,” said Dr N.K. Sanalkumar of Justice Krishna Iyer Movement.
Dr Jacob John said a fund of Rs 11 crore was sanctioned in 2011 to develop the institute as a nodal ‘Health protective Agency’, but, no action was taken thereafter. “We had to depend the Manipal Centre for Virus Research and the Pune National Institute of Virology even to test the samples of suspects for the virus disease. Steps should be taken on a war-footing to revive the institute which was the first to find that ‘leptospirosis’ disease is rampant in the state,” Dr Jacob said.
“The institute is literally non-functional for the last several years. Now our hopes rest on the Institute of Advanced Virology, under construction at the Life Sciences Park, Thonnackal, Thiruvananthapuram. The work of the same is expected to be over by this year end,” said Dr Sarada Devi K.L., HoD, Microbiology Department, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
