Kerala to produce anti-rabies vaccines

THRISSUR: Kerala would produce enough anti-rabies vaccine to meet total internal requirement within three years, Minister for Forest and Animal Husbandry, K Raju said here on Tuesday.
The Minister said the vaccines would be produced at the referral diagnostic laboratory of the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) at Palode.
The facilities at the laboratory will be enhanced for the production of the vaccine and as per estimates, this would entail an investment of Rs 62 crore, the Minister who was here to inaugurate the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme of the Thrissur Corporation, said.
Raju said he had held talks with the Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on this and he has promised the required financial support for the programme. "We will require only a portion of the Rs 62 crore estimated for the first phase of the project, and the Minister has agreed to sanction it soon,’’ he said.
Currently the vaccine is being bought from Indian Immunologicals Limited set up by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Hyderabad, and it is very expensive as well as faces supply shortage often. With the production of vaccine at AHD laboratory, at Palode, we will be able to even export vaccines to neighbouring states, the Minister said.
When contacted the AHD director Dr .N N Sasi said anti-rabies vaccine can be produced the laboratory at Palode by installing additional facilities like air handling unit and differential level filters.
The laboratory should also have rooms where negative pressure is being maintained. Veterinary experts with special training in vaccine production and handling will have to be deployed there, he said.
He said about 12 lakh dozes of vaccines can be produced at the laboratory and this would be sufficient to meet the domestic demands. Nabard’s consultancy wing will be preparing the detailed project report of the proposed unit.