State fast-tracks virology institute

With the State on high alert over the Nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, the government has fast-tracked the establishment of a virology institute to improve preparedness and response to infectious diseases that pose a challenge to public health.

The main building of the institute, already under construction at the Life Sciences park, Thonnakkal, is expected to be completed only by the end of next year. However, in the light of the Nipah virus outbreak, the government has decided to take up the construction of a 20,000-sq-ft pre-fabricated modular building that will house the virology labs and diagnostic facilities.

The project envisages one Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and eight labs with BSL-2 facilities. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation stone for the building on May 30.

To be established under the Kerala Biotechnology Commission, the institute will be equipped for high-end research to identify and study viruses and viral infections. It will also have facilities for the development of novel anti-viral drugs and vaccines and molecular diagnostic tools.

“The Nipah virus outbreak has only underlined the need for the State to be equipped to tackle emerging and re-emerging diseases,” says M.C. Dathan, scientific adviser to the Chief Minister. “The institute is expected to become operational by the end of this year.”

The KBC has set up an advisory committee of virology experts to spearhead the 500-crore project. Official sources said the institute would start functioning with a core staff appointed on deputation or contract.

The project report submitted by the KSCSTE notes that Kerala had witnessed several outbreaks of viral infections in recent years including dengue fever, mumps, measles, HFMD (hand-foot-and-mouth disease), KFD (Kyasanur forest disease), chicken pox, and H1N1 infection. The Zika virus and the yellow fever virus are also considered a looming threat to the State.

Public health experts have called for a detailed analysis of the unpredictable genetic transformations and evolutionary trends of the viruses to overcome their resistance to conventional treatment strategies.

Efforts are on to network the institute with the National Institute of Virology, Manipal University, and the high-risk virus labs under the DRDO, Bhopal, and the ICMR, Pune as well as virology institutes in other countries.