24/03/2017 South Today

Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

Good evening. I'm Edward Sault.

A new bioscience centre, helping lead the global fight

against highly infectious animal viral diseases, has

Surrey's National Vaccinology Centre cost ?24million.

It's part of the Pirbright Institute and it's home to 100

scientists working on vaccines against outbreaks like foot

Recent breakthroughs include genetically modifying mosquitoes,

which should help combat zika and other devastating viruses.

A new centre in the global fight against highly infectious animal

diseases officially opened by the Princess Royal,

who joined some of the hundred scientists working here.

I'm grateful to see such an investment in this aspect

of science and I really wish you well with that.

As I say, thank you very much for allowing me to join you,

but this is a very important addition to the scope that you have

The recent breakthroughs include developing a new generation

of genetically-modified vaccines against viruses such as avian flu,

however GM techniques have raised ecologically and ethical concerns.

Famously, the Prince of Wales warned that GM crops could cause

But the head of the Institute here defended their work, not least

We have limited options of controlling mosquitoes.

We don't want to use large quantities of chemicals to control

them, and they spread important diseases so that

them, and they spread important diseases to

And so, the idea of introducing modifications

This can be a very precisely controlled process to bring in

control procedures where we don't have any other options.

The Zika virus, a mosquito-spread infection linked to thousands

of babies being born with underdeveloped brains,

is one of the diseases targeted at the institution.

Working on genetically modified mosquitoes,

one of the elite scientists told me that critics of GM help to ensure

thorough scrutiny and admitted there is no guarantee

Not acting has risks as well as acting for any of these

choices and not acting means 390 million cases a year of dengue,

half a million people a year dying of malaria and so on.

So we don't live in a risk-free world.

The institute has played a major role in controlling the foot

and mouth outbreak in 2001 and it is home to the world

reference laboratory for the disease.

The new building is part of the ?350 million development

at the site which also houses scientists from the now closed

This building is a fantastic place to develop techniques.

More importantly, we are consolidating on site.

We have access to better talent and better scientists

We're already excited about the prospects.

The building cost ?24 million to construct and it has a host

of leading environmental design features and is now

A railway worker narrowly avoided being hit by a South West train

The report from the Rail Accident investigation branch says the man,

who's not been named, had become distracted while working

on a rail defect near Shawford in Hampshire last June.

The report claims the man was probably fatigued due

to sleeping in his car to avoid long journeys to and from home each day.

House prices in three of the south's towns and cities registered some

of the biggest rises in the country last year.

Portsmouth house prices rose by 8%, second only to Manchester.

Bournemouth and Southampton were both in the top 10%

Bournemouth and Southampton were both in the top 10

The figures come from Hometrack which monitors prices in the twenty

The famous Overlord Embroidery at Portsmouth's D-Day museum has

after more than thirty years on display.

The two-hundred and seventy two foot long work commemorates

It's being removed while the museum undergoes major renovation work.

More than ?500,000 has been raised to extend

the children's intensive care unit at Southampton general hospital.

The centre has seen an increase in babies needing critical care.

Four-month-old Gabriel has had heart complications ever since he was born

and has been in and out of intensive care.

He was born with a heart condition, part of which is

This service is essential because his recovery from these

It's not the path that children normally take in recovery.

The expertise they have here and the experience has been

Similarly, Zaya who's just two days old has been brought

She's had a procedure to put a small hole in the side of her heart

That all went well, and then from there she was sent

The centre has been extended thanks to thousands of people raising

money, including doctors, nurses and parents.

The money was spent gutting this area and bringing it up to demand

in clinical standard, and also most of the equipment

you can see here, in fact, all the equipment you can see

here, was purchased in this build, and it's all state-of-art equipment.

Well, the demand for the spaces has increased.

The children are coming from all over the south coast

all the way up to Milton Keynes and we want to try to help.

We want the opportunity to give the best care for the children

It is hoped that the extra beds and equipment will mean that

more children like Gabriel and Zaya can be treated here in Southampton.

Sophia Seth, BBC South Today, Southampton General Hosptial.

Now, it can't have escaped your attention that

And hundreds of you from right around the south have been

doing your bit to raise thousands for good causes.

This Family Support network in the region got ?116,000

Many of the carers here are pensioners looking

after their grown-up children with learning disabilities.

In those days continues on BBC after the news. -- Red Nose Day.

And Now You Weather. Low Temperatures In The Towns And Cities

we could see a touch of frost, pockets of fog first thing tomorrow

morning. However, this will lift quite readily. Temperatures in the

sunshine feeling pleasant up to 14-15 C. You will need to be

sheltered from the window. They still north easterly flow taking the

edge off the coast. A fine and weather outlook for the whole of the

Good evening. It is good news on the weather front for most of the UK. We

have been forecasting fine weather for a few days. It has certainly

arrived. Beautiful picture today. The skies are clearing across the