Press Releases

U.S. GRANTS RS. 14 LAKHS TO KOLKATA’S NICED FOR REFERENCE LABORATORY FOR ENTERIC PARASITES IN INDIA

January 18, 2008

KOLKATA –  The U.S. Consul General in Kolkata, Mr. Henry Jardine today handed over a check of Rs. 1,4,00,000 (14 lakhs) to Dr. G.B. Nair, Director, the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) in Kolkata.  The grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be used for a workshop on the establishment of a reference laboratory for enteric parasites in India.  HHS will also provide funding for a pilot study on opportunistic enteric parasites in HIV/AIDS patients. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of HHS has collaborated with NICED under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on studies of enteric parasites over the past several years.  In February 2008, five scientists from CDC, Atlanta and about 20 scientists from various institutions in India will attend a workshop to review technical and logistic issues associated with the operation of the national reference laboratory. The pilot study will assess the prevalence of enteric parasites and risk factors involved in the transmission of these parasites in HIV/AIDS patients. The basic objective behind the studies is to improve the infrastructure for the surveillance and research of enteric pathogens in India.

In other health-related initiatives, the U.S. has committed $30 million as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to support the Indian battle against HIV/AIDS.  Of this, $7 million will be funded by HHS.  To carry home the message about HIV/AIDS in eastern India, the American Consulate has been organizing several programs with active participation by the Consul General that involve labor leaders, chambers of commerce, and legislators.  In collaboration with a public welfare trust and the West Bengal State AIDS Control and Prevention Society, the U.S. Consulate organized a program to sensitize truck drivers against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.  On World AIDS Day, the Consul General addressed a rally of more than 2000 students from 30 schools. 

Over the past few decades, the HHS Office in India has administered well over $200 million to cooperative health projects in high-priority areas, such as HIV/AIDS, polio, tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, and childhood and oral cancers.  The benefits from these collaborations are visible today in many parts of the country.