Animal Disease Lab Coming to India
INDIA - Jammu and Kashmir will soon have a Level-II Bio-security Laboratory at the Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products for diagnosis of new and emerging animal diseases having bearing on human health.
30 May 2008
3 minute read
The special feature of the laboratory will be its air-curtains and negative pressure rooms to prevent escape of pathogens from it. The information was given to the secretary to government, Animal Husbandry, Labour and Employment, Ravi Thussoo, during his surprise visit to the institute Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Dr J L Mattoo, joint director of the Institute, Dr J L Mattoo, the laboratory would be established with the assistance of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries of the union ministry of Agriculture. The latter has appointed consultants for laying it. The laboratory will have facilities for Virological, Microbiological and Sero-epidemiological studies. The GoI has allotted Rs 8 lakh for renovation of the existing structures at the Institute and another Rs 12 lakh for purchase of equipment.
The Institute has earned a name in the implementation of centrally-sponsored Animal Disease Monitoring and Surveillance programme and has succeeded in creating a data bank for disease forecasting, said research officer, Dr Farooq Jan, who has been associated with the project since its inception. The Institute produces around a million doses of different vaccines. According to the director, Animal Husbandry, Kashmir, Dr Bhupinder Singh, the department is going to develop the Biological production section of the Institute to enable it qualify for ISO certification.
Appreciating the work of the institute, the secretary asked the officers to take immediate steps for revival of Lyophilizer unit of its BP section which lacks a Fermentor Technological unit for production of Bi-valent vaccine of HS-BQ for animals. A proposal to have the facility established with the assistance of Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu, had been pending with the State Level Purchase Committee of the department for the past five years. The secretary asked the director and the joint director to initiate a proposal for immediate procurement of the equipment through the RRL. He also visited the ABS and Poultry Rearing Space in the sprawling campus.
