ICMR to launch kits for detecting infectious diseases in livestock

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday announced the launch of diagnostic kits, developed by its National Institute of Virology, to detect neglected infectious diseases in livestock.

The kits will detect infections in the animal population, as they often are the hosts or reservoirs, spreading the infection to humans who come in close contact with them.

The initiative under public private partnership also involves Zydus Diagnostics which will market the new medical kits.

The prices of the kits was not revealed as the commercialisation process was not yet over and would take some more time.

"ICMR is taking a lead in commercialising the innovations as a result of ICMR's intramural and extramural research, so that the benefits of the research reach the common man," said Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Health Research and Director General, ICMR.

"While tackling neglected infectious diseases, timely diagnosis and treatment are critical. To reach the ultimate goal of elimination of these neglected diseases, it will also be important to improve access, focusing on the fundamentals of preventive interventions," she said, adding that it is important to maintain constant vigilance through appropriate diagnosis, robust surveillance, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

Makers of the kits say such technologies will enable detection of outbreaks of dangerous and life-threatening diseases and also give a boost to the government's "Make in India" efforts.

The diagnostic tools that are ready for the market include ELISA kit for detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) in mosquito vectors and the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in sheep, goat and cattle.

The kits provide results within 2.5 to 3 hours and are both highly sensitive and specific.

"The kits will be available for use in public health laboratories and hospitals across India and other countries," said one of the scientists involved in the research work.

"These diagnostic tests will help public health services in effective detection and surveillance. Another product in the pipeline is a Multiplex real time PCR kit for the detection of dengue and chikungunya, useful in detection during early stages of the infection."

Pankaj Patel, Chairman, Zydus Group, said: "We are happy to partner with ICMR and help in being better equipped in this war against infectious disease outbreaks.

"This collaboration makes us self-reliant in detecting and starting early treatment so that precious lives can be saved."

The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme says that India witnessed 1,916 cases of Japanese Encephalitis leading to 226 deaths in 2017.

"The virus is transmitted through more than 15 species of culex mosquitoes, predominantly found in rural and semi-urban settings, where humans live in close proximity to these hosts.

"Timely detection of JE is a much needed public health intervention, as one in four cases can prove fatal. The test is user-friendly and detection is possible within four hours," the body said.

--IANS

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