India needs to get into vaccine production in a big way: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Bengaluru: India should step up research on communicable diseases and get into vaccine production in a big way, says biotechnology industry veteran Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak globally.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon Ltd also urged the government to rope in the private sector to boost diagnostic capacity to deal with the COVID-19 cases.
"Now we realise that it cannot be contained so easily," she said on the World Health Organisation's assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.
According to her, the response of the US and Europe has been very slow in containing it.
"Now that they are responding, they realise that it has spread quite a lot", Mazumdar-Shaw told PTI in an interview.
What's even more scary is that there are not enough diagnostic kits available (in major coronavirus-affected countries) for quick diagnosis, she said.
"You can't even do mass screening. Even in a country like the US, even though people are exhibiting all these symptoms, they are basically taking chest x-rays and quarantining them.
They don't have enough kits to really deal with every case. So, it's quite worrying, because you can see how it's surging," Mazumdar-Shaw said.
Countries like China and parts of Asia such as Singapore have contained it, she noted.
In India, the coronavirus positive cases are low at the moment, but, one has to wait and see how far it can be contained, she said, adding companies in India are taking immediate rapid response steps.
Biocon for example has started checking the temperatures of all people entering its premises -- employees and visitors -- from Monday.
Mazumdar-Shaw stressed the need for the Indian government to focus on diagnostics now.
"Because just restricting it to a few government labs is going to be very difficult for the government to deal with huge volumes that could pile up.
Many of these could be negative but we have to check.
Private sector also should be roped in to offer some of these rapid tests," she said.
Biocon is willing to set up a testing facility for coronavirus, she said, adding, there is a need to very rapidly increase the number of diagnostic centres in India.
"Otherwise, we will not have capacity at some stage to screen people who are displaying these symptoms," she said.
Mazumdar-Shaw said data is needed to know the age profile of those exhibiting serious symptoms.
"All this data is very important; if you don't have diagnostic kits and if you are second guessing, then you are not going to get credible data on which to act," she added.
On the impact of coronavirus on the Indian biotechnology industry, she said there was an opportunity for the sector to start seriously looking at these kinds of viral diseases.
"Indian public health system does not even mandate a flu-shot every year. I always take an annual flu-shot when I go abroad or even here.
So, these kinds of things are very important that we get into vaccine production in a big way, and getting understanding of viral epidemics is important, we need to a lot of studies on viruses", Mazumdar-Shaw said.
Even before the coronavirus outbreak, she had asked the government to allocate a big fund to create a viral and microbial repository, so that more research can be done and India can be in a state of preparedness in terms of vaccines and antibiotics.
"All this research is going to be very important for the world. Now, the world has realised it has neglected antibiotics", she said.
Communicable diseases were dubbed "third world" or "developing world" diseases in some quarters.
"That's not true anymore; it (communicable diseases) affects the whole world because of travel and migration.
This is an opportunity to really strengthen the India biotech sector and make sure that you start researching on all these communicable diseases as well", Mazumdar-Shaw said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Several Gurugram schools receive hoax bomb threats
Gurugram (PTI): Several Gurugram schools received another hoax bomb threat emails on Wednesday morning, prompting police to launch searches on the premises.
Police said the email was sent by the 'Khalistan National Army', with threats issued to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to declare April 29 as the "40th Khalistan Declaration Day". It also threatened to bomb the Red Fort in Delhi.
Police said it was a hoax as no suspicious items were found after an intensive search.
Several schools, including Shri Ram, Amity, and the HDFC school, received threatening emails at 8.33 am, when classes had already begun, police said.
The school administrations became aware of the threats around 9 am and immediately informed the police, a senior police officer said.
The schools immediately implemented emergency protocols, with many declaring a holiday and asking parents to take their children home safely, the officer said.
A large number of anxious parents gathered outside the schools, as police and bomb squad teams reached the spots and started checks.
"Around 10 schools have approached the police from morning until now over bomb threats. Police teams are alert, and searches are underway on all the premises", the officer said.
As soon as the information about this email was received, police in Gurugram and Delhi swung into action and started investigation.
Schools immediately implemented emergency protocols upon receiving the mail. Many schools declared a holiday and sent messages to parents, asking them to take their children home. Large crowds of parents gathered outside the schools.
The schools were sanitised by sending a bomb disposal squad as well as a dog squad.
A senior police officer said that police teams thoroughly searched the school premises, classrooms, buildings, and surrounding areas. No suspicious objects or explosive materials were found during the investigation.
"Police teams are seriously investigating the entire matter. Cyber experts are being consulted to determine the authenticity of the email, its source, and the identity of the sender", added the officer.
This is the third time since January that schools have received fake bomb threats.
In March, at least a dozen schools in the city received bomb threat emails, which later turned out to be hoaxes.
Similarly, on January 28, as many as 13 schools received hoax bomb threats via email, forcing authorities to evacuate campuses and suspend classes.
Last month, police arrested a Bangladeshi national whose email ID was allegedly used to make a bomb threat for some payment.
