National Influenza Centre

Ongoing Projects

• 1.Strengthening/promoting evidence-based advocacy for influenza prevention and control in India
   PI: Dr Sumit Bhardwaj, Co PI: Dr Varsha Potdar
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: One year

• 2. Pan India Epidemiological, Virological and Genomic Surveillance for Human Influenza and COVID-19 through DHR-ICMR VRDL Network
   PI: Dr Varsha Potdar, Co PI: ML Choudhary, Sumit Bharadwaj
   Funding:Extramural
   Duration:One year
  

• 3. Feasibility Study: Tracking Community Mortality Due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus
   PI: Dr Varsha Potdar
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 4 months

• 4. Model for Integrated Influenza Surveillance in Tamil Nadu, India (MIISTI)
   PI: Dr. Varsha Potdar , CoPI : Dr Sumit Bhardwaj
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: one year

• 5. Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG)
   PI: Dr. Priya Abraham CoPI: Dr Varsha Potdar and Dr Sarah Cherian
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 3 years

• 6. Establishment of serological platform for Respiratory Syncytial Virus

   PI: Dr. ML Choudhary, CoPI: Dr Varsha Potdar
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 2 years

• 7. SARS CoV-2 Diagnostic Services/ Outbreak Investigation.
   PI: Dr Varsha Potdar , Co PI: Dr ML Choudhary, Dr Sumit Bhardwaj
   Funding: Intramural funds
   Duration: 3 years

• 8. Evaluation of diagnostic kits for detection of Influenza and Respiratory viruses
   PI: Dr. Varsha Potdar, Co PI: Dr ML Choudhary
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 3 Years

• 9. Influenza vaccine effectiveness among pregnant women- Cohort study.
   PI: Dr. Sumit Bhardwaj, Co PI: Dr Varsha Potdar
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 3 years

• 10. Comparative Analysis of Host-Immune Responses in Symptomatic and Recovered cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease
   PI: Dr. Himanshu Kaushal
   Funding: Extramural
   Duration: 3 years

• 11. In vitro evaluation of cellular immune responses against inactivated SARS-CoV-2 strain.
   PI: Dr. Himanshu Kaushal
   Funding: : Intramural
   Duration: : 2 years

Outbreak/Pandemic Investigation and Mitigation

1. The first pandemic of 21st century was unexpectedly caused by a novel swine-origin H1N1 virus, the pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus. The existing ICMR network was expanded to include partners and took a frontline role in providing a diagnosis in their respective regions. NIV was the apex laboratory providing resources and coordinating the efforts of all the centers. NIV extended diagnostic services to various states in India. As part of human resource development; training and reagent supply for detection of pandemic A(H1N1)pdm09 by Real Time PCR were undertaken for the ICMR centers and some SEARO countries.

2. The National Influenza Centre has a pivotal role in the nation’s fight against COVID-19. NIC has developed a Real-time PCR test and reported the first case of SARS-CoV-2 in India on January 30th, 2020. The next two cases were also reported by NIV. Soon after, NIC proceeded to empower 13 Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country. Testing protocols were shared, reagents were sent out and via daily video conferences, NIC was able to equip more VRDLs to join in the battle against COVID-19. Today, 107 VRDLs perform testing contributing to a total of 1206 government-run laboratories across the country. As of 1st July 2022, NIV has completed 406592 RT-PCR tests and has got a hundred percent score in the WHO’s external quality assurance assessment for its accuracy indices.

3. NIV has also undertaken the job of validating commercial reagents and kits for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Prepared the validation and batch testing protocols. As of today, we have validated 405 different products that account for more than ninety percent of the overall validations being done by other ICMR institutes and government agencies. All validations were performed in comparison to NIV’s indigenously developed assays. NIC major contribution for Make in India kits is to give satisfactory results by providing technical inputs by handholding with all Indigenous kits (RT-PCR RNA, VTM, Swabs).

4. NIV has shipped out its reagents amounting to 6300,000 reactions across the length and breadth of the country. Supported COVID-19 testing for the Indian nationals in Iran and Italy hosted at Indo-Tibetan border police camp.

5. As an apex laboratory, performed quarterly quality control for all the reference government laboratories in India. In addition, quality control of private and government laboratories performing COVID-19 testing in Maharashtra.

6. NIC is one of the INSACOG Hub lab for SARS CoV-2 genomic consortium and represent ICMR network. There are more than 30 satellite labs attached with NIC and till date more than 30 thousand genomes characterized and submitted to GISAID.

7. Nation-wide multi-centric epidemiological and virological surveillance for influenza-like illness (ILI) network was established by the ICMR and DHHS/CDC USA. In the first phase of study from 2004-2009, network has been established to understand influenza activity with peaks during rains year-round seasonality of influenza viruses in India. In the second phase of study from 2009-2014, dynamics of Influenza Seasonality at Sub-Regional Levels is understood and its implications for vaccination timing is proposed. The cities with temperate seasonality will benefit from vaccination in September-October whereas, cities having influenza activity in the monsoon season in July-September will benefit from vaccination in April. Network data provided the evidence for circulation patterns of seasonal influenza viruses in India.

8.Influenza and other respiratory viruses on animal Human interface

• NIC has advance facility for diagnosis of emerging re-emerging influenza viruses which includes differential diagnosis for avian influenza virus such as H5N1, H7N9, H9N2 during countrywide bird flu outbreaks.
• The diagnostic protocols are available for common human corona viruses and MERS CoV.
• Reported first human case of Low Pathogenic avian Influenza A(H9N2) from India
• Reported first human high pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) from India in 2021

WHO National Influenza Centre

AS a NIC, NIV has participated in various WHO programs; since 2004, more than 700 isolates have been submitted to the Collaborating Centre at CDC, USA, to contribute towards the bi-annual vaccine selection process. WHO-Flunet is an electronic database with information about globally circulating influenza strains and the magnitude of influenza activity worldwide since the year 2000, NIV contributes to this regularly.