India
Bird Flu & Stem Cell Research Issues in Indo-Korea Talks
By Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India
Oct 19, 2005, 20:49

India and South Korea are to jointly strive for combating a number of communicable as well as non-communicable diseases besides co-operation in Stem Cell research. The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss who has already arrived in Seoul on a five-day visit to South Korea will discuss these issues with his Korean counterpart and top scientists. The tour of the Minister began with a visit to Dr.Kang�s Stem Cell Laboratory at the Seoul National University today. South Korea is doing pioneering research in Stem Cell, which promises cure for many a health-related problems, which hitherto did not have solutions.

Tomorrow, the Minister will be visiting the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul and then another important Stem Cell Research Centre known as Histo-Stem. The visit assumes greater significance in the wake of India planning for new national programmes to combat a number of communicable and non-communicable diseases. With the WHO having sounded an alarm about bird-flu hitting India, the Minister is looking for co-operation with such countries to develop a vaccine to check bird-flu.

The possible areas of cooperation between India and South Korea include, surveillance of new and emerging infections like influenza, SARS, bird-flu, leptospiroses, Japanese Encephalitis, HIV/ AIDS, drug resistant tuberculosis, Hepatitis A,B,E, measles of various strains etc. Use of the Global Information System and satellite imaging for a early warning and forecast of epidemics, disaster and pandemic preparedness and vaccine development specially for infectious diseases are other possible areas of cooperation. Among the non-communicable diseases, the areas of cooperation identified include risk exposure and assessment for arsenic and other environmental pollutants, Mental health-care, registries for cancer and epilepsy and neuro-sciences. Dr.Ramadoss will be meeting his South Korean counterpart Mr.Kim Geun Tae on Friday for discussions on various subjects.

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