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Lola Nayar in New Delhi
India has heightened alertness to detect and tackle bio-terrorism, particularly through communicable diseases like anthrax, smallpox and plague, on the advice of the World Health Organisation.
"A WHO advisory has been sent to countries to ensure that a country plan was in place to detect and tackle any case of bio-terrorism. This is more so in cases of communicable diseases like smallpox that is deemed to have been eradicated," T Walia, India-based WHO regional representative, told Indo-Asian News Service.
At a meeting held recently to review preparedness for bio-terrorism, Health Minister C P Thakur said every state should have a high-grade laboratory for testing and producing vaccines.
Currently there are only 13 such laboratories in the country. Plans are afoot to create additional facilities by upgrading laboratories in medical colleges.
"In addition, border states would be given priority in setting up high-grade laboratories to be in a better state of preparedness," Thakur said.
Existing smallpox vaccines (available only in a few countries) have proven efficient. But they also have a high incidence of adverse side effects that could lead to deaths in one in 13,000 cases, according to Walia.
The WHO advisory is more for preparedness to check the extent and quality of existing vaccine stocks, and the possible need to stimulate vaccine production and increase stocks of vaccine for use in the event of an outbreak.
Countries have been advised to vaccinate only in cases where people are at risk of exposure to smallpox, including health and civil workers. "It would be used in a search and containment exercise should an outbreak occur," WHO has warned.
Indo-Asian News Service
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