BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh is set to welcome its New Year’s gift in form of its first virology laboratory with inaugration likely due on January 5. The lab, established at Gandhi Medical College (GMC) will be designated as (BSL) Biological Safety Level II, officials say.This biosafety level includes laboratories dealing with microbes that pose a moderate health hazard.The tripled walled construction located within GMC premises would conduct tests for virus including hepatitis A , B, and C, H1N1, influenzas, HIV , swine flu and vector borne ailments including Zika virus, said Dr AK Shrivastava, superintendent of Hamidia hospital.In the absence of the virology lab, state’s health department relied on ICMR Jabalpur and AIIMS Bhopal.Experts from Indian council of medical research (ICMR) are likely to provide assistance in research and analysis of medical disease trends.The laboratory will be a four storied building with built-up area of 10,000 sq feet each, according to the plan.The construction of Rs 22-crore laboratory began in 2012, but gathered momentum in late 2016, due to scoping exercises by Environment Planning and Coordination Organizations (EPCO) for the GMC and its associated hospitals.The country's premier facility High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) with bio-safety level-IV containment laboratory were technical advisors for the project.

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