HYDERABAD: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu stressed on the need for global cooperation for early detection of new viruses and to contain the outbreak of epidemics. Speaking at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad on Monday, he said there was rising concern across the world over Coronavirus.
“The periodic outbreak of epidemics and new viruses not only highlight our vulnerability to diseases, but underscore the need for early detection and cooperation on a global scale to contain any serious fallout. As you are all aware, the newly-discovered strain of Coronavirus is spreading across nations and causing a major concern to health authorities.”
Touching upon yet another plaguing issue in the medical and health sector, Naidu pointed out the problem of growing antimicrobial resistance. He said, “Modern medicine is facing a serious threat on account of growing antimicrobial resistance, and many antibiotics might eventually become ineffective if the trend continues unchecked”.
The Vice-President also urged the CCMB to develop ‘Rapid DNA Testing Kits’ for detection of some of the rare diseases and other genetic disorders. "It is important to predict and prevent genetic diseases as more than 70 million Indians are estimated to be suffering from genetic disorders, according to the Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI)," he added.
He also advised the institutions like CCMB to take up campaigns on a massive scale to create awareness among people about the health risks associated with consanguineous marriages, particularly those relating to congenital disorders.
He lauded the CCMB’s efforts for developing the bacterial blight-resistant Sambah Mahsuri rice variety in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and urged scientists to find ways to develop more disease and pest-resistant crops. The Vice-President released the annual ‘Societal Impact Assessment Report’ of the CCMB on the occasion.