Bhopal laboratory chosen for SARS experiments

The capital-based Research Laboratory has been selected for conducting detailed experimentation on the deadly SARS virus.

Bhopal is set to play a major role in unravelling the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) mystery, that has taken the almost the entire world by a scare. The capital-based High Security Animal Disease Research Laboratory (HSADRL) has been selected as a collaborator by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for conducting detailed experimentation on the deadly virus.

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Though India has been announced as a SARS-free country by the World Health Organisation (WHO), suspected cases of SARS are continuously being reported from various part of the country.

Taking into consideration the serious nature of the syndrome, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to conduct research on the virus, which still remains a mystery for researchers.

The HSADRL being the only containment (high security) lab in entire Asia, has been selected for the detailed study on the virus. In-charge of the laborary, joint director Dr HK Pradhan told the Hindustan Times that the research project would be a collaborative effort between the NIV and the HSADRL.

"I have already received the approval letter from the director general of the Indian Council Agriculture Research (ICAR) to conduct this research," he said.