AIIMS Rajkot Recognized for Zika Virus Screening

AIIMS Rajkot has been designated a Zika virus screening facility, reducing the need to send swab samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The new centre, operational from next week, will provide results within 24 hours. Gujarat last reported Zika cases in 2017.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot, Gujarat, has been officially recognized for Zika virus screening, eliminating the necessity to send swab samples to Pune's National Institute of Virology (NIV), according to an official statement on Wednesday.

Professor Ashwini Agarwal, head of the microbiology department at AIIMS Rajkot, announced, 'Our centre has been recognized for Zika virus screening by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). We have received kits from the NIV and will commence tests very soon.'

The new Zika virus testing centre at AIIMS Rajkot will become operational next week, significantly reducing the time for result delivery from a month to just 24 hours. Additionally, a biosafety laboratory (BSL 3) for handling highly infectious organisms has been sanctioned, with construction beginning next month. The Zika virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, has seen fluctuating case numbers in India, with 23 cases reported in 2023 and 234 in 2021.

(With inputs from agencies.)