Results of Ebola suspect’s tests due this week - MRI

by Carol Aloysius

The long awaited results of Sri Lanka’s first suspected victim of the dreaded Ebola virus who died a fortnight ago, are likely to be released this week.

Director, Medical Research Institute (MRI) Dr Sumith Ananda told the Sunday Observer, that the MRI had received approval from the virology laboratory in Pune, India to send the samples on Thursday and assured that the samples would be despatched by tomorrow.

“We are grateful to the Pune laboratory which volunteered to do the testing free, the WHO, and the virologists at the MRI who have been continuously communicating with Pune”, he said. “When the samples are received by the Pune laboratory, the results could be released between 24 to 48 hours and we can expect them by mid week or so,” he said. “Sending a toxic and infectious material to a laboratory in another country for virology testing is expensive, time-consuming and a tedious procedure, involving multiple agencies.

Any delay is due to the complicated procedure involved”, he said adding that the private courier through whom the samples were being sent, had informed the MRI that it would take a minimum of three working days for the samples to reach them.” This will minimise the infection spread of any disease, during transit,” he said.

Asked about the likelihood of the samples testing positive, he said, “ The chances are extremely remote.

The woman had died after a three-day pilgrimage to India. There are no cases of Ebola reported from India up to now”.