In a conversation with South First, he explained that viruses such as influenza mutate frequently, making it hard to depend on a single vaccine, which is why new variants of flu vaccines are developed annually – since last season’s shot may not protect against this year’s strains.
Published May 24, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 24, 2025 | 9:00 AM
In a conversation with South First, Dr. E. Sreekumar shared the institute's challenges and its determined vision to position Kerala as a global leader in virological research.
Synopsis: Frequent viral mutations, particularly in viruses like influenza, make it difficult to depend on a single vaccine, says Dr E Sreekumar, Director of the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in Kerala. Despite early setbacks, the IAV has grown into a robust regional hub for viral diagnostics and research, now testing for over 85 parameters and supporting outbreak response across southern India. In a conversation with South First, he shared the institute’s challenges and its determined vision to position Kerala as a global leader in virological research.
Two years ago, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised to elevate the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, into a world-class facility.
The ambition was born from the state’s frequent encounters with viral outbreaks like Chikungunya, Dengue, H1N1, Nipah, and Zika.
The state government had original initiated steps towards that goal back in 2017, allocating five acres in the Life Sciences Park and launching Phase 1A, a 30,000 sq ft structure.
However, operational delays and the COVID-19 pandemic hindered early progress.
Momentum picked up in October 2020 with the arrival of Dr Akhil Banerjee, and significantly in 2021 when Dr E Sreekumar took over as Director.
Since then, the IAV has expanded to over 70 staff, established six advanced research labs, and launched both a Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory and a Core Instrumentation Facility.
In a conversation with South First, Dr E Sreekumar shared the institute’s challenges and its determined vision to position Kerala as a global leader in virological research.
Edited excerpts follow.
A: One major reason is Kerala’s strong global diaspora, which results in frequent international travel and increases the chances of viruses being brought into the state. Kerala is also a popular tourist destination that attracts visitors from around the world, adding to the exposure risk.
The state’s proximity to the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats makes it more vulnerable to zoonotic viruses originating from animals.
Most importantly, Kerala’s tropical climate – characterised by high rainfall, humidity, temperature, and dense vegetation – creates a favourable environment for disease vectors like mosquitoes.
All these factors together contribute to why Kerala often records at least one case or sample during global viral outbreaks.
A: This reliance mainly began during the first Nipah outbreak in Kerala in 2018.
Since it was the first reported case of Nipah in South India, whereas earlier cases were confined to places like Siliguri in North India, it followed the national protocol to send initial samples to a central institute.
In India, when a new or rare infectious disease emerges, the practice is to route the first few samples to a national-level agency like NIV Pune.
This helps focus containment efforts and ensures standardised protocols.
A similar approach was followed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when all tests were conducted centrally before decentralisation happened as case numbers grew.
Now, as a regional centre, we also conduct tests locally. Facilities in Kozhikode (under ICMR) and the IAV in Thonnakkal are capable of testing and reporting results.
All tests follow the same RT-PCR methodology.
Even so, in some cases, samples may still be sent to NIV Pune as part of the Union government’s health protocol.
However, if a sample is processed at IAV Thonnakkal, we conduct the tests here and submit the report without forwarding it to Pune.
A: I joined the IAV in 2021, which was after the initial COVID-19 outbreak. At that time, the institute was not fully functional.
From 2022 onwards, we have been working steadily to establish it as a fully operational institute. One of our major achievements was setting up a diagnostic lab.
Initially, we tested for only about 20 viruses; today, we test for 85 parameters, including 50–55 viruses and several bacterial pathogens.
In the beginning, we received samples only from Thiruvananthapuram. Now, we receive samples from across Kerala and even from southern Tamil Nadu, including places like Tirunelveli.
I have over 20 years of experience working at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, particularly in virology. My background as a veterinary surgeon also helped, veterinary science involves virology, microbiology, and the study of animal diseases caused by viruses.
Additionally, I hold a master’s degree in immunology, which gave me a deep understanding of vaccines and their mechanisms. I also conducted research on the chikungunya virus at Johns Hopkins University.
Thanks to this extensive experience, I did not face any major professional challenges yet. However, we did encounter some delays, particularly with the import of equipment.
Other than that, the IAV at Thonnakkal has not faced any significant hurdles.
A: I don’t agree with that assessment. Kerala actually outperforms most other states in terms of disease prevention and early detection.
We’ve been quick to identify and respond to major outbreaks. Molecular diagnostics, which became more widely accepted just 10 to 15 years ago, are now effectively used here.
Take COVID-19 for example, the gap between reported cases and actual deaths in Kerala was minimal, which indicates that our reporting, diagnosis, and data accuracy were all strong.
It’s not just a matter of government PR, we genuinely have a robust system. Of course, no system is perfect and there’s always room for improvement, but overall, Kerala is doing remarkably well.
A: Cholera was once widespread in districts like Alappuzha, where there are extensive water bodies. We’ve put in significant effort over the years to control such diseases. However, areas prone to waterlogging are still at risk, and in such environments, diseases like cholera can resurface.
Even though we recently reported a cholera-related death, the key takeaway is that we were able to detect it early. When an outbreak occurs, we conduct a thorough investigation to confirm whether it’s cholera, hepatitis, or another illness.
It’s not always practically possible to detect a disease before it affects humans, sometimes we can get early warnings from water samples, but not always.
Meningitis is another good example. Though rare in Kerala, we have managed to diagnose it effectively and respond with much better treatment outcomes compared to many other regions.
While mortality from such diseases remains high in other places, Kerala has been able to prevent many deaths through systematic and prompt health responses.
A: Sometimes, yes.
For certain viruses like influenza, frequent mutations make it difficult to rely on a single vaccine.
That’s why new flu vaccines are developed each season – last season’s vaccine may not be effective against this season’s strains.
However, some viruses like measles are much more stable. The same vaccine has worked effectively for years.
Viruses such as mumps and rabies may undergo minor mutations, but these typically don’t affect vaccine efficacy.
A: Yes, during the chikungunya outbreak in our state, I was at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB). Our team conducted the first molecular diagnosis of the virus here. At that time, it was common practice to send samples to Pune and wait for results.
But we took the initiative to establish a system that allowed in-state testing – not just for chikungunya, but also for dengue, Zika, and other viruses.
Being part of that pioneering effort, which significantly shaped the state’s health policy and response systems, was a truly fulfilling experience in my career.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
