Govt wants speedier dengue test

With 2 deaths so far and a spurt in cases, authorities recalibrate strategy to contain disease.

The spurt in dengue cases over the past week has forced the authorities to recalibrate strategy on containing the disease as government-run hospitals are being told to procure NS-1 antigen test kits for ensure speedy diagnosis.

The antigen tests, recommended in Central government directories since January 2011, were supplied by the municipal corporation to all government hospitals till last year.

If someone is suffering from dengue, the antigen test will detect it within the first four days of fever. But the antibody test, which screens for antibodies produced against the virus, can show a positive infection only after 8-10 days of fever.

Health Minister Dr A K Walia, at a meeting on Monday, asked all government hospitals to make detailed reports about the respective tests used for dengue.

Walia said he had issued instructions to all hospitals to provide more comprehensive reports, indicating the time of detection of the virus. "NS-1 antigen tests are important since they detect the disease early. If a patient has gone to a hospital in the initial days of fever, why should he be turned away?" he said.

But civic officials played down the role of the antigen tests. A municipal health official said: "We reiterated at a meeting with the government hospitals last month, that they should get their own kits...from their own budget. Last year, we had some kits supplied to us by WHO. That's why we could supply them to hospitals."

He said the corporations were listing positive results from antibody tests, rather than the antigen test, to calculate the number of dengue cases this year.

"WHO has recommended that the ELISA antibody test is sensitive for two types of antibodies produced against the virus, the IgG and the IgM. So, we are relying on this test," Dr N K Yadav, health officer of South corporation, said.

... contd.

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