Even though new diseases are emerging, the State is yet to have a virology centre that would make a difference in the diagnosis and treatment of such diseases, said Dr. Anoop Kumar A.S., who, with his team, was the first to identify as Nipah the disease affecting patients in Kozhikode last year.
Speaking to The Hindu here recently, he said all the samples collected from patients in such cases had to be sent to the Manipal Virology Centre, which took at least 48 hours for the results.
The State had indicated that three virology laboratories would be set up in the north, south and central regions, but no concrete steps had been taken in this regard so far.
The influenza A H1N1 virus had been around for a decade, causing seasonal peaks in infection, but there was no facility in the State to identify the virus, said Dr. Anoop, who was here as a speaker at the health and well-being meet at the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences.
Recalling that a nurse, who had cared for the Nipah victims, had died of the same disease, Dr. Anoop, chief of critical care medicine, Baby Memorial, Kozhikode, said there should not be another death of a healthcare giver in the State. Vaccination would give about 60% protection, and it could be a precaution against the loss of lives, he said.
There was little research on the effectiveness of the drug Oseltamivir used in treating influenza, said Dr. Anoop. How effective the drug was in tackling the Influenza A variant and diseases caused by hitherto unknown viruses were among the things that clinicians needed to be updated on, he said.
An integrated private-public partnership should be ensured in combating emerging diseases, he said. In hospitals, multi-disciplinary co-ordination was required to identify new diseases, Dr. Anoop said.