NEW DELHI, DEC 2: Now that the dissection of frogs and the cosmetic testing on animals in schools have been made optional, thanks to its lobbying, the Union Government-instituted Committee for the Purpose of Controlling and Supervising Experiments on Amimals (CPCSEA), is directing its energies towards making anti-rabies vaccines more sheep-friendly.

A year ago, the Committee had resolved that all techniques which required the mutilation and killing of sheep to produce anti-rabies vaccines must be replaced with modern alternatives like tissue culture anti-rabies vaccines.

The matter gained urgency after the outbreak of the `mad cow' disease in Britain, since the sheep brain is known to harbour the virus that causes it.

Besides these obsolete vaccines are administered in the form of 14 injections to the stomach, which is both painful and dangerous.

However, the switchover seems to be easier said than done. As early as 1994, the Vaccine Production Board had decided to phase out these sheep-brain-based vaccines within five years. But, there has been little progress since then.One of the main excuses given for this stalemate is that the country ostensibly does not have the requisite personnel trained in the new manufacturing techniques.The Pasteur Institute at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu is the only training institute of its kind.

The CPCSEA was informed that only one official in this Institute knows the technique of making tissue culture vaccines and he has retired, so there is nobody qualified to teach the method.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.