Dengue To Nipah: NIV Developing Vaccines For These Deadly Viruses In India

Last Updated:June 19, 2025, 15:41 IST

With Nakshatra supercomputer at NIV Pune, virus mutations can be tracked in real time, speeding up vaccine development and enabling swift national response

The advancements at NIV Pune signify India's growing self-reliance in addressing biological threats. (News18 Hindi)

The National Institute of Virology’s (NIV) fight against deadly viruses is gaining momentum far beyond dengue. While India’s first indigenous dengue vaccine has reached the final phase of human trials—an important breakthrough in tackling the mosquito-borne illness—NIV is also developing vaccines and diagnostic tools for several other high-risk viruses, aiming to reduce the country’s reliance on imported technology and boost epidemic preparedness.

KFD Virus

The Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) virus, prevalent in Karnataka and surrounding forests, causes a severe fever, and its vaccine is now in an advanced stage.

Chandipura Virus

The Chandipura virus, which induces high fever in children, is also being targeted by NIV for a vaccine.

Nipah Virus

India is developing a vaccine for the highly lethal Nipah virus using monoclonal antibody technology.

CCHF Virus

The zoonotic Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus is also under surveillance by the NIV, where work on a vaccine and diagnostic kit is already underway.

These advancements signify India’s growing self-reliance in addressing biological threats.

NIV’s ‘Nakshatra’ Slashes Virus Detection Time

During the Covid-19 pandemic, identifying rapidly mutating virus strains posed a major challenge. But now, the supercomputer ‘Nakshatra’ at NIV Pune has emerged as a powerful solution. This high-performance computing system (HPC) can read and analyse millions of virus sequences within hours—a process that previously took several days.

With Nakshatra in place, virus mutations can be tracked in real time, accelerating vaccine development and enabling faster national response during outbreaks. The arrival of this supercomputer is being hailed as a revolutionary step in India’s virology efforts.

Eradicating Dengue

India’s first indigenous dengue vaccine could mark a turning point in the country’s decades-long battle against the disease. The vaccine has shown promise against all four serotypes of the dengue virus, thanks to modern biotechnology advances in the NIV labs. If the final phase of trials is successful, India will soon have its first homegrown and safe dengue vaccine.

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