Executive Director, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, in Plateau State, Dr Mohammed Ahmed, said the federal government in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, DFAID, Canada, has completed the construction and equipment of a bio-safety level three laboratory which would be commissioned soon.

According to him, the laboratory has the facility for research and diagnosis of Zoonotic diseases that are potentially fatal to humans.

He stated this yesterday while delivering a speech at the closing ceremony of the 2015 NEF_NVRI Toxicology Internship programme in Vom.

He said risk group three agents such as avian influenza and Lassa fever can be safely diagnosed in the laboratory, stressing that when it is commissioned and becomes fully functional it will attract more research collaboration.

“The three months collaborative internship programme between the National Veterinary Research Institute and the United States-based non-governmental organisation, the Africa Education Initiative, NEF, which started in 2005 has been hosted by the institute for ten years. The aim of the programme is to create awareness and expose young African graduates to research and education in science, particularly in the area of toxicology and drug development. The collaboration between NEF and NVRI has been a huge success with 58 young African scientists as beneficiaries.’’

NVRI was established in Vom in 1924 as part of the colonial government’s veterinary services to combat the scourge of rinderpest (cattle plague which ravaged the West African sub- region) with the mandate to conduct research into all aspects of animal diseases, their treatment and control, develop and produce animal vaccines, sera and biological to meet national demand and to provide surveillance and diagnosis of all animal diseases among other assigned duties.

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FG To Commission Bio Lab in Plateau State