ICMR report notes key role in disease tracking
Excelsior Correspondent
06SRINAGAR, June 5: Jammu will anchor genomic surveillance efforts in North India with the establishment of a North Zone Virology Centre, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Annual Report 2024-25.
According to the report, the centre, equipped with advanced high-containment laboratories, will strengthen India’s capacity to track emerging pathogens, monitor viral mutations and respond swiftly to infectious disease outbreaks.
Construction of the centre began in December 2023 and will house Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) and Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratories, enabling researchers to safely handle and study infectious pathogens.
ICMR said the Jammu facility will serve as a key node in the country’s expanding genomic surveillance network, a modern disease-monitoring system used to identify genetic changes in viruses, detect new variants and guide public health interventions.
The report noted that genomic surveillance has become a critical component of public health preparedness, providing real-time insights into how viruses evolve and spread.
Apart from disease monitoring, the centre will support outbreak investigations, advanced viral diagnostics and laboratory-based research aimed at improving India’s preparedness against infectious diseases.
The facility is also expected to play an important role in capacity building by training scientists, laboratory professionals and healthcare personnel in advanced virology and surveillance techniques.
According to the report, the project assumes added significance given J&K’s ecological vulnerability to emerging zoonotic diseases, which can spread from animals to humans.
The Jammu centre is one of four regional virology hubs being developed across the country as part of a broader effort to strengthen India’s disease surveillance infrastructure.
Similar facilities are under development in Bengaluru, Dibrugarh and Jabalpur. While the Dibrugarh centre will include both BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories, the Jammu, Bengaluru and Jabalpur facilities will house BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories.
ICMR said the regional expansion marks a significant step towards decentralising high-end laboratory infrastructure and reducing dependence on a limited number of national institutions for advanced virology research and diagnostics.
The centres are expected to facilitate faster regional responses to disease outbreaks and improve surveillance of emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
According to the report, the initiative aligns with India’s One Health approach, which integrates human, animal and environmental health systems to strengthen disease detection, monitoring and preparedness.
Once operational, the Jammu facility is expected to emerge as a major hub for virology research, genomic surveillance, outbreak investigations and infectious disease monitoring across J&K and the wider northern region.
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