PUDUCHERRY : ICMR’s vector borne disease Scientists at ICMR’s Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) has planned to propose to the union health ministry to repurpose covid-19 RT-PCR laboratories for xeno monitoring (XM) to combat vector borne diseases by monitoring the vector itself which transmits the disease.
Since the covid-19 pandemic, India has established more than 3382 RT-PCR laboratories for covid testing across the country.
“So, what after covid-19? We now have state-of-the-art facilities which can be repurposed for other work. That is what we have proposed to the union health ministry to start Molecular Xeno monitoring network (MX) for vector borne disease control,” Dr Ashwani Kumar director of ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre told Mint.
“Xeno monitoring offers a high throughput and less invasive alternate method with high sensitivity and specificity. It can assess infection in pools of mosquitoes and 1000s of mosquitoes in pools can be assessed in a single day,” he said.
Scientists elaborated that there are two ways of monitoring the risk of transmission of vector borne diseases. “One way is to monitor the causative organisms like parasite or other viruses while the other way is monitoring the vector which transmits the disease. So, Xeno monitoring is to monitor the vectors which are transmitting the disease. This will allow us to know the agents in those vectors,” said VCRC director.
To start with, scientists have planned to monitor the vector—a mosquito called Culex mosquito which transmits Lymphatic Filariasis disease. In the later stage, thr Xeno monitoring network will be expanded to indentify unreported sites. There are about 4.8 lakh cases in the country and 328 districts are affected with the diseases.
Lymphatic filariasis is spread from person to person by mosquitoes. People with the disease can suffer from lymphedema and elephantiasis and in men, swelling of the scrotum, called hydrocele.
“We would require primer and probes for this particular agent in order to detect them,” he said adding it is the time to deploy the xeno monitoring in the LF elimination programme through establishing a national network of such facilities as a complementary tool in the transmission assessment survey.
This year till May, India has reported 10172 dengue cases and 3 deaths, shows data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, a body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Till June, around 1554 confirmed cases of Chikunguyna have been reported so far while 62 cases of Japanes encephalitis have been detected with 2 deaths. Till April, the country has reported 21558 malaria cases with 4 deaths.
Scientists have framed the proposal and it has been sent to the ICMR already. This protocol will be established in gathering real time data into the system through a network of labs. Further it will also help in collating data of other mosquito borne diseases such as Malaria, Chikungunya and dengue.
First article
PUDUCHERRY : ICMR’s vector borne disease Scientists at ICMR’s Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC) has planned to propose to the union health ministry to repurpose covid-19 RT-PCR laboratories for xeno monitoring (XM) to combat vector borne diseases by monitoring the vector itself which transmits the disease.
Since the covid-19 pandemic, India has established more than 3382 RT-PCR laboratories for covid testing across the country.
“So, what after covid-19? We now have state-of-the-art facilities which can be repurposed for other work. That is what we have proposed to the union health ministry to start Molecular Xeno monitoring network (MX) for vector borne disease control,” Dr Ashwani Kumar director of ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre told Mint.
“Xeno monitoring offers a high throughput and less invasive alternate method with high sensitivity and specificity. It can assess infection in pools of mosquitoes and 1000s of mosquitoes in pools can be assessed in a single day,” he said.
Scientists elaborated that there are two ways of monitoring the risk of transmission of vector borne diseases. “One way is to monitor the causative organisms like parasite or other viruses while the other way is monitoring the vector which transmits the disease. So, Xeno monitoring is to monitor the vectors which are transmitting the disease. This will allow us to know the agents in those vectors,” said VCRC director.
To start with, scientists have planned to monitor the vector—a mosquito called Culex mosquito which transmits Lymphatic Filariasis disease. In the later stage, thr Xeno monitoring network will be expanded to indentify unreported sites. There are about 4.8 lakh cases in the country and 328 districts are affected with the diseases.
Lymphatic filariasis is spread from person to person by mosquitoes. People with the disease can suffer from lymphedema and elephantiasis and in men, swelling of the scrotum, called hydrocele.
“We would require primer and probes for this particular agent in order to detect them,” he said adding it is the time to deploy the xeno monitoring in the LF elimination programme through establishing a national network of such facilities as a complementary tool in the transmission assessment survey.
This year till May, India has reported 10172 dengue cases and 3 deaths, shows data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, a body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Till June, around 1554 confirmed cases of Chikunguyna have been reported so far while 62 cases of Japanes encephalitis have been detected with 2 deaths. Till April, the country has reported 21558 malaria cases with 4 deaths.
Scientists have framed the proposal and it has been sent to the ICMR already. This protocol will be established in gathering real time data into the system through a network of labs. Further it will also help in collating data of other mosquito borne diseases such as Malaria, Chikungunya and dengue.
First article