Hyderabad: Serum Institute of India announced the establishment of its Dr Cyrus Poonawalla Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness at Hyderabad on Sunday.
The announcement of the setting up of the centre was made after minister K.T. Rama Rao’s virtual meeting with Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the institute.
This centre will be located at the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH-H) in Hyderabad, which is one of five institutions established by the Public Health Foundation across the country. It aims to strengthen health systems for better planning and performance and also align multi-sectoral policies and programmes to public health objectives.
“Telangana strengthens its position as Life Sciences hub. @SerumInstIndia, the largest vaccine manufacturer, announced the establishment of Dr Cyrus Poonawalla Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness in Hyderabad,” tweeted Rama Rao, following the announcement.
“By centralising our resources and expertise, we can ensure a quick and effective response to any public health emergency. Through this investment, I am delighted to welcome Serum Institute of India (SII), which is the largest vaccine manufacturer, to the city of Hyderabad that is regarded as the vaccine capital of the world,” the minister added.
“This centre will offer a variety of services, including Public health education and outreach, Monitoring and tracking of infectious diseases, Coordination of response efforts with local healthcare providers, Provision of information and support for individuals and families affected by epidemic. Telangana is dedicated to providing its residents with a high quality of life and a bright future,” said Dr Poonawala.
According to Serum Institute, it is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.5 billion doses) against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella as well as pneumococcal and Covid-19.
Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world.
Earlier the discussion for this centre had started during Rama Rao’s meeting with Dr Poonawalla during the World Economic Forum in Davos in May last year. Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, industries, and Shakthi M. Nagappan, director life sciences, of the state government were present during the meeting in Davos.
…
