A isolated Monkeypox treatment ward at a hospital in Ahmedabad in India. (Photo: AFP/VNA)New Delhi (VNA) – Scientists at the Indian Council
of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune are
training experts from Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand to tackle monkeypox amidst escalating concerns
over the disease.
As part of India’s response to protecting its population
from the new threat, NIV scientists are training their counterparts in these
countries on testing, clinical symptoms, case definitions, sample collection,
and equipment required for testing.
has been conducting such training programmes for
other countries from time to time, like it did during the COVID-19 pandemic and
even before for biosafety and bio-risk mitigation, said Dr Pragya Yadav, a senior
scientist at NIV Pune.
If these countries develop the capacity to diagnose and
detect monkeypox cases, that would enhance the screening of the suspected cases
and reduce the travel-related importation of cases to other countries, he said.
According to the scientist, some 139 participants from various
countries participated in the last which was launched on August 1.
The institute does not only offer the capacity-building
programme but also provides testing kits, reagents and probes for other
countries upon request, said Prof., Dr Priya Abraham, Director of NIV Pune.
Last week, the NIV lab isolated the
monkeypox virus strain to help pharmaceutical companies to develop monkeypox
vaccine and diagnostic kits. Besides this, the institute has been designated as
a referral laboratory for testing suspected cases. In addition, 15 other
ICMR-VRDL (Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory) network laboratories have
been optimised to undertake diagnostic testing for disease.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of July
27, around 18,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox globally from 78 countries and
five deaths have been reported./.
Source: VietnamPlus
