MGM signs MoU with NCDC for surveillance of zoonotic diseases

Diagnoses and culture-based testing of Monkeypox virus and other zoonotic diseases will soon be started in MGM Medical College as the college has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) to establish a network of Sentinel Surveillance site.

NCDC had asked all the states to send proposals to nominate the medical college/institute for undertaking Sentinel Surveillance activity over which the state government had nominated these three medical colleges; Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur and NCDC chose Indore over the other two colleges.

According to dean of MGM Medical College, Dr Sanjay Dixit, establishing these surveillance centres is one of the key objectives of National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses (NOHP-PCZ).

“Our college was nominated by the state government, after which we sent a comprehensive proposal for being the Sentinel Site and successfully signed the MoU with NCDC.

“The priority zoonosis proposed to be included (but not limited to) Scrub Typhus, Rickettsial infections, Leptospirosis, KFD, CCHF, Brucellosis etc. NCDC will upgrade our existing lab for the same after which we will be able to test the samples of Monkeypox as well,” Dr Dixit said.

As per the MoU, NCDC will provide appropriate technical and financial support to the sentinel sites and will train the manpower as well.

“Two faculty members, Dr Akhilesh Pratap Singh Tomar, who will be the nodal officer, and Dr Gunwant Eske will be trained by NCDC on February 6 and 7 for the same,” Dr Dixit added.

What are Zoonotic diseases?
Zoonotic diseases are diseases or infections that can be transmitted naturally from vertebrate animals to humans or from humans to vertebrate animals. More than 60 per cent of human pathogens are zoonotic in origin. This includes a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, parasites, and other pathogens. Free Press Journal