Question : EPIDEMIC CONTROL CELL

(a) whether the Government proposes to set up epidemic control cell and vectorborne disease research laboratory under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to pursue research on emerging epidemics and vector-borne diseases in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of such epidemic control cell and vector-borne disease research laboratories presently functional in the country, State/UT-wise including Kerala;

(c) whether any low-cost equipment for investigation of malaria has recently been developed in the country, and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the action being taken by the Government/ Disease Prevention and Outbreak Response Cell to control various diseases in the country?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)
(a) & (b): The Department of Health Research (DHR) has rolled out a scheme in September, 2013 on “ Establishment of a network of Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and Natural Calamities”. Under the scheme, 4 Regional Labs, 6 State Level Labs and 14 Medical College labs have been established. The State/UT wise list of such labs is given in Annexure-I.
Further, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has established a field establishment namely National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Alapuzzha, Kerala and a Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratory at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvanathapuram.
Following ICMR Institutes are also working on the various aspects of Vector Borne Diseases (VBDs) including existing and emerging and re-emerging VBDs including malaria, filariasis, leishmaniasis, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya, etc. These Institutes are, namely, National Institute of Malaria Research (Delhi), National Institute of Virology (Pune), National Institute for Research in Tribal Health (Jabalpur), Vector Control Research Centre (Puducherry), Centre for Research in Medical Arthropodology (Madurai), Desert Medical Research Centre (Jodhpur), Regional Medical Research Centre (Bhubaneswar), Rajendra Memorial Research Institute in Medical Sciences (Patna) and Regional Medical Research Centre (Port Blair).

The above mentioned ICMR Institutes have a team of identified scientists who are a part of the Central Team deputed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare(MOH&FW), depending upon the suspected etiology of the outbreak.

(c): No.

(d): The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) coordinates Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) launched in 2004 under which an outbreak surveillance and response Unit has been set up. Under IDSP the Districts/States have been strengthened by providing additional manpower, training of identified Rapid Response Team (RRT) members for outbreak investigations, strengthening of laboratories for detection of epidemic prone diseases, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment for data entry, analysis and data transfer, and provision of funds for operationalization. This unit receives and compiles information on outbreaks on a weekly basis.