ICMR Allowed To Conduct A Truenat Test To Detect Nipah

Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) allowed the Kerala government to detect Nipah with the help of the Turenat Test, which uses portable, smart chip-based, battery-operated RT-PCR kits in certain hospitals.

Only hospitals with level-2 biosafety facilities — with certain strict protocols in place to prevent contamination of samples — will be permitted to use Truenat test facilities.

About Nipah Virus

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus, genus Henipavirus, which can spread between animals and people. 

• Causative Agents: The Nipah virus is also known to cause illness in pigs and people. Fruit bats, also called flying foxes, are the main causative animals of the Nipah Virus.
• Symptoms: Encephalitis (brain swelling) can cause mild to severe illness and death. 
• Prevention: Contaminated areas can be isolated.
  • Exposure to sick pigs and bats in areas of infection can be avoided.
  • Human-to-human contact can be avoided by quarantine at home and hospitals.
• Outbreak: Nipah virus (NiV) was first discovered in 1999 Malaysia and Singapore following an outbreak in bats and pigs.
• After that, it spread into India and Bangladesh.

RT-PCR

RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) is the mRNA (messenger RNA) detection and quantification technique.

• RT-PCR can be used to quantify mRNA levels in smaller samples. 
• Even during the coronavirus outbreak, this technique was used.
• This technique is sensitive enough to enable quantitation of RNA from a single cell.
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as the name indicates, is a technique to produce or multiply copies of DNA in a chain form. 

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.

The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.