By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
K.C. Venugopal, MP, has written to Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda, urging him to sanction funds and expedite the certification process for the Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory set up at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Kerala Unit at Kuravanthodu in Alappuzha in Kerala.
He said the facility held immense potential to strengthen public health infrastructure in the State, particularly in addressing ongoing and emerging health threats.
“The construction of the BSL-3 laboratory has now been completed. Trial runs commenced in June 2025 and successfully continued for three months. The unit has since requested approval of funds from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and subsequently applied for certification from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which falls under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Once the funds have been disbursed, the laboratory will facilitate in-state testing and confirmation of high-risk pathogens such as the Nipah virus, thereby eliminating the current dependence on sending samples to NIV Pune, which causes significant delays in diagnosis and response,” Mr. Venugopal said.
Staff shortage
Even as the lab awaits certification, it is facing an acute staff shortage. Sources said that measures were under way to appoint the required staff on a contract basis. “The operationalisation of the BSL-3 laboratory in Alappuzha would be instrumental in assisting with rapid testing, research and containment efforts for infectious diseases,” Mr. Venugopal added.
The NIV Kerala unit was initially established as a BSL-2 facility in February 2008. It operated with limited infrastructure at the Government Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha, until late 2022, when it was relocated to a newly constructed permanent facility at Kuravanthodu.
At present, the unit undertakes research on various locally prevalent viral diseases, focussing on epidemiological, virological, immunological, entomological and socio-behavioural aspects.
Notably, the NIV Kerala unit was among the first four laboratories in India, apart from NIV Pune, the apex institution, to be designated as a State nodal laboratory for COVID-19 testing at the onset of the pandemic.
