ICAR-NIHSAD Designated as Category A Rinderpest Facility

• 20 Jun 2025

Why in News? 

India marked a significant achievement in global animal health as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designated the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility. 

• India is now among the six facilities worldwide trusted to securely hold rinderpest virus material.

Key Points 

• NIHSAD (National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases): 
  • NIHSAD is India’s premier Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) facility high-containment lab for research on exotic and emerging animal pathogens, disease diagnosis, and bio-containment of high-risk organisms.  
    • Established in 1984 as High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) and later renamed, it serves as a reference lab for avian influenza, Newcastle disease, and other transboundary and zoonotic diseases under the One Health framework.   
  • It functions under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. 
• Rinderpest: 
  • Rinderpest, also known as “cattle plague,” was a highly contagious and deadly viral disease until its global eradication in 2011. 
    • Despite eradication, Rinderpest Virus-Containing Material (RVCM) still exists in a few labs worldwide, posing a potential biosecurity threat. 
  • It spreads via contact with infected secretions or contaminated feed/water. Symptoms included high fever, mouth ulcers, diarrhoea, and rapid death.   
  • It caused massive livestock losses across Africa, Asia, and Europe, leading to economic collapse and food insecurity. 
  • To mitigate this, FAO and WOAH limit RVCM storage to high-security laboratories under stringent global oversight. 

World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) 

• The WOAH, originally founded as the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) in 1924, is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Paris, France.  
• It was founded in response to the global rinderpest outbreak.  
• WOAH is formally recognised under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) as the international standard-setting body for animal health. 
• The World Assembly of Delegates is WOAH’s top decision-making body, comprising representatives from all 183 member countries, including India.   
• It meets annually in Paris, with each country having one vote.