Jayaraman Shanmugam
Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, India
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Antivir Antiretrovir
More than 40 human viral agents have emerged in various parts of the World during the past four decades. Most of them are RNA viruses mainly transmitted from animals to humans. Maximum viruses have emerged in the African, Asian and South American continents where enormous species of animals, birds and insects are living with increased possibility of humans coming in close contact with them directly or indirectly. Though more than 550 types of arbovirus have been described in the world, only around 15 types of them have been reported in India. The Kyasanur Forest Virus in India emerged in 1957 in Karnataka state. In 2005-2006 a major Chikungunya outbreak occurred in South India. The arbovirus emerged lately in India is Congo-Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever virus in 2012 in Gujarat. Around 10 new types of viruses have been detected in South East Asia and Western Pacific. In Australia, ~40 arboviruses have been described. Due to the paucity of laboratory facilities many viral diseases go undiagnosed in developing countries from Africa and Asia. Hence the health authorities should initiate appropriate measures to establish high quality laboratories to diagnose viral diseases without delay including periodic training of the laboratory personnel.
Jayaraman Shanmugam is the President of Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. He has worked at Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, (Government of India), Trivandrum for 26 years and later in two private medical colleges for 14 years in UAE and India. He has completed 24 research projects and published 118 papers in various journals. He has received 18 awards and many honors, edited two journals, organized many workshops, symposia, CME, national and international conferences, guided PhD students and he is an elected fellow of five societies including American College of Epidemiology and a Senior Consultant in Medical Virology/Microbiology in India.
Email: drjshanmugam@gmail.com
