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SCIENCE:
ETHICS
Venomous
Nightmare
Horses
used for producing antivenom for snake bites are being subjected to callous
treatment
By
Arun Ram
Vahini
could not tell them that she was pregnant when they injected potent snake
venom into her. Barely a month later, the mare gave birth to a young one
with a suspected limb disorder. Soon after the delivery, Vahini went blind
in the right eye and her left eye was partially damaged.
Vahini is
a living victim of man's age-old argument that ends justify the means.
At least 60 other horses have died at the state-run King Institute in
Chennai in the past seven months due to improper treatment during the
manufacture of anti-snake venom serum (ASVS). ASVS is produced by first
injecting snake venom into horses and then extracting their blood. The
antibodies produced by the animal after the injection of the venom are
used to make the serum.
Not any
longer though. The tragic consequences of the overdose administered to
Vahini have shaken up the institute. Earlier this month, the Tamil Nadu
Government ordered the suspension of ASVS production at the institute
for two months. The veterinarian, who "did not know that Vahini was
pregnant", was transferred, Director C. Chandraprabha asked to go
on leave and a senior bureaucrat given temporary charge. The Crime Branch
of the cid and a committee of veterinary experts are investigating the
matter.
At 100,
the King is ailing. And so are most of the 140-odd animals-horses and
mules-housed there for experiments and production of serum. It seems that
"good clinical practices" and "ethical conduct" are
unknown phrases at King Institute. "The potency of the venom, the
frequency of shots and duration of bleeding are all beyond the permitted
limits," says an insider. King Institute is not even registered with
the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments
on Animals (CPCSEA) under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
even though it is mandatory.
Gross
Neglect: The CPCSEA is naturally fuming at this flouting of norms.
Says consultant Prema Veeraraghavan: "There is a total disregard
for rules and ethics. The high death rate in recent months is possibly
due to ill-treatment." Sources in the institute say the 140-odd animals
at King Institute do not get proper care on Saturdays and Sundays because
the veterinarian and the attendants are off on those days.
The CPCSEA,
which recently conducted an inspection of the institute stables, found
the animals in pathetic conditions. Some horses had gaping wounds and
the stables were not maintained properly. "It is inhuman. When an
ex-service man is given so many privileges, why isn't an animal which
has served the country for so many years given a respectable life during
its final years?" asks Veeraraghavan. Union Social Justice and Empowerment
Minister Maneka Gandhi has taken serious note of the matter and is being
briefed by CPCSEA consultants in Chennai.
Additional
Director of Medical Education Dr V. Ramdas, who has been given charge
of King Institute, is not willing to speak on the issue because of "instructions
from the top". But state Health Secretary L.K. Tripathy admits that
there are serious flaws in the functioning of King Institute. "We
have set up a committee to suggest measures for upgrading the upkeep and
immunisation protocol followed by the institute," he says.
Meanwhile,
suspending the manufacture of ASVS at the institute is likely to affect
the availability of the serum in the country. It produces 75,000 vials
a year. Only three other institutes-Haffkine Institute and Serum Institute
(both in Maharashtra) and the Central Research Institute (Himachal Pradesh)-produce
the life-saving serum. The production process takes up to six months from
the time the venom is injected to when the serum is ready. So if immediate
steps are not taken to clear the mess at King Institute, there may be
a shortage of antivenom serum six months from now.
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