A senior Congress leader M K Raghavan on Jne 2 urged the Centre and Kerala Government to set up a virology lab in Kozhikode facilitating speedy screening of blood samples in the wake of spreading deadly Nipah Virus (NiV) that claimed 17 lives in northern part of the state recently.

In a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister K K Shylaja, Raghavan, representing Kozhikode in Lok Sabha, said a virology lab with sophisticated equipment would help tests faster. Lack of a sophisticated lab also adversely impacted preventive measures, he opined.

He also demanded special incentives to doctors, nursing and other staff of health centres providing treatment to patients by risking their safety. Calling for Central support to import medicines from Australia and Japan to effectively containing the disease, he said an early decision to set up an AIIMS in Kozhikode be a great help to the region.