PM Modi lays foundation stone of NIOH for identification of Novel agents like Coronavirus

The Institute will focus on increasing preparedness and laboratory capabilities for the identification of novel and unknown zoonotic agents.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the National Institute for One Health and inaugurate the Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies. The Institute to focus on increasing preparedness and laboratory capabilities for the identification of novel and unknown zoonotic agents.

These new institutes of medical excellence will further expedite the country’s efforts in enhancing health research to serve our vulnerable populations. The institute is part of PM Aatma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Financial Year 2021-22 with a budget at an outlay of about Rs. 64,180 crores over six years.

NIOH will increase laboratory capabilities for the identification of novel and unknown zoonotic agents. It will be equipped with the Bio Safety Level IV laboratory. It will also help in the investigation of outbreaks of emerging zoonotic agents concerned with public health and in developing better control strategies.

With increased interaction between humans and animals – domestic and wild, and influenced by climate change, human health can no longer be seen in isolation. More than half of all infections that people get can be spread by animals. In this context, National Institute for One Health in Nagpur is an important infrastructural milestone for India.
The Institute will focus on increasing preparedness and laboratory capabilities for the identification of novel and unknown zoonotic agents. It will help in the investigation of outbreaks of emerging zoonotic agents concerned with public health and develop better control strategies.

The prevalence of Sickle Cell disease in the Vidarbha region of Central India, especially in the tribal population, is high, with expected carrier frequency as high as 35% in certain tribal groups. Realizing this issue and the spread of similar diseases in the country, ICMR - Centre for Research, Management & Control of Haemoglobinopathies has been set up that will play a leading role in research on haemoglobinopathies and similar diseases in the country.
The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and research facilities including bio-banking and proteomics facilities, which will enable India to conduct pathbreaking research on the disease. This centre of medical excellence is dedicated to haemoglobinopathies, which are inherited disorders of haemoglobin and include β-thalassemia syndromes and sickle cell disease, amongst others. The centre will undertake interventions through community control programmes and translational research that will benefit the patients in the underserved region of Chandrapur and adjoining areas.

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