Rs 100 crore tropical Disease Center to be launched at RMRIMS

Patna: The Rs.100 crore Samrat Ashoka Tropical Disease Center built at the city’s Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) in Agamkuan will be inaugurated this month by the Union Health Minister, Mr. J.P. Nadda . This was announced by the RMRIMS, Director, Pradeep Das. The research center-cum-hospital will have 150 beds.

The facility will be the second such center in the eastern zone. "Tropical diseases are prevalent or endemic to a certain region because of temperature, climate, and other reasons," Institute's Director Das said. "So the new center would carry out research and provide treatment for diseases like kala-azar, Malaria, Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis, HIV infection, AIDS and Tuberculosis. According to an RMRIMS study, around 13 percent of people in the state suffer from these diseases," he added.

The new center is meant to carry out research as well. "Right now, there are no good labs for research on tropical diseases. Only RMRIMS conducts research on kala-azar and some other diseases, but starting of this center would boost treatment and research of tropical diseases," stated Dr.Das.

According to sources in the Health Department in 2017, the state of Bihar has reported around 5,000 cases of Kala-azar and 7,590 new HIV positive cases. According to Bihar State AIDS Control Society data, there are 42,840 AIDS patients in Bihar. Another 900 chikungunya cases and 2,500 dengue cases (confirmed through the rapid diagnostic test and Elisa test) have also reported. "Studies will be initiated on vectors causing Filaria and Malaria. This is called xenodiagnosis," an RMRIMS official said.

"The center will also do a serum-epidemiological study of disease to find the virus causing the infection. The institute will also take up a clinical trial of anti-JE drugs, besides conducting a study on genes to study susceptibility of TB infection and clinical trials of drugs to evaluate optimal duration of TB treatment," he told the Telegraph.