Zika virus testing can now be done at AIIMS Rajkot; results to be available in 24 hours

Rajkot: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Gujarat's Rajkot has been recognised as a facility for the screening of Zika virus, cutting down on the need for swab samples to be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune in adjoining Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday.

"Our centre has been recognised for the screening of Zika virus (by Indian Council of Medical Research). We have received kits from the NIV, and are going to begin the tests very soon," said Ashwini Agarwal, professor and head of the department of microbiology at AIIMS Rajkot.

He said the new testing centre at AIIMS will become operational from next week.

Agarwal informed that the central government has also sanctioned a biosafety laboratory at AIIMS Rajkot that deals with highly infectious and pathogenic organisms.

"BSL 3 (biosafety level 3) lab has been sanctioned, and its construction will begin next month," he said.

After the centre for Zika virus testing at AIIMS Rajkot becomes operational, results of samples of suspected cases will be known within 24 hours. When samples from Gujarat were sent to the Pune-based NIV, it took from one week to up to a month for confirmation.

"The centre will make the test results of suspected Zika virus patients known within 24 hours. Samples collected for surveillance purpose will take some time," he said.

The Zika virus disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.

Thirteen cases of Zika virus --three from Karnataka and 10 from Maharashtra-- were reported till July 22 this year, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel had said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

In 2023, the country had witnessed 23 cases of Zika virus, while two infections were seen in 2022 and 234 in 2021.

Gujarat had last reported three cases of the disease in 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated Gujarat's first AIIMS at Rajkot on February 25 this year.

Spread across 201 acres, Rajkot AIIMS is a world-class hospital with 720 beds, including the ICU. The multispecialty medical facility was built at a cost of Rs 1,195 crore.