Overview
- ICMR’s VRDL network detected pathogens in 11.1% of roughly 450,000 patients tested across India from January to June 2025.
- Positivity increased from 10.7% in January–March (24,502 positives of 228,856 samples) to 11.5% in April–June (26,055 of 226,095), a rise of 0.8 percentage points.
- The most frequently identified agents were Influenza A, dengue virus, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and Herpes simplex virus.
- Investigations documented 389 disease clusters in Q1 and 191 in Q2, with detections including mumps, measles, rubella, dengue, chikungunya, rotavirus, norovirus, VZV, EBV, astrovirus, influenza, hepatitis, leptospira, and STIs.
- ICMR notes the VRDL network has expanded to 165 labs across 31 states and UTs, has identified 2,534 clusters to date, and serves as an early-warning system that researchers urge authorities to leverage for preventive action.