Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant step towards enhancing public health surveillance and rapid response capabilities, the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) has launched a Mobile Outbreak Investigation Unit at the Government Medical College (GMC) campus in Thiruvananthapuram.
The newly launched unit is equipped with state-of-the-art biosafety infrastructure, including bio-safety cabinets, centrifuges, ice-lined refrigerators, and liquid nitrogen containers. These facilities allow for the on-site collection and safe processing of samples from disease outbreak zones. Once processed, the samples are transported under strict cold-chain protocols to the IAV testing facility for detailed viral diagnostics.
Currently, patients from institutions such as the Medical College Hospital, Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), SAT Hospital, and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have to transport their samples personally to IAV. This often leads to delays and degradation of samples, potentially compromising diagnostic accuracy.
By contrast, the mobile unit ensures that samples are stored under optimal conditions, preserving their integrity for accurate and timely diagnosis. The unit is staffed by trained scientists and technicians from IAV and has the additional capacity to provide rapid preliminary diagnosis at the site.
According to UNI, the facility is open on all working days from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and services are available only upon recommendation by treating physicians.
This development comes amid rising concerns over infectious diseases in Kerala, particularly following a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. As per official data, since May 6, the state has recorded approximately 1,400 COVID-19 infections and seven deaths, including the recent passing of a 24-year-old woman with liver disease. On Sunday alone, 64 new cases and one fatality were reported.
Healthcare institutions across Kerala, including private hospitals, have already reactivated safety protocols, set up dedicated COVID-19 wards and ICUs, and resumed screening of high-risk individuals to manage the resurgence effectively.
