 50
samples tested each day
The Medical Research Institution (MRI)
is the only lab currently carrying out tests on suspected samples sent
for verification. Here resource personnel at the Institution explain the
process of determining the AHINI virus.
Q: What is the procedure followed in identifying the AH1N1
virus in a laboratory setting
A: The first thing we do is to look for the genome i.e. the
genetic material inside the virus.
To do this we have to first rupture the virus and extricate the
genome inside the virus. We then look for the specific genome that is
related to the H1N1 virus.
Q: How long does it take?
A: Usually around two days. We can give the results within 48
hours or earlier, but right now there is a delay due to the increasing
number of specimens we receive every day.
Q: From where do these specimens come? How many do you receive
each day? How are they sent?
A: From State hospitals and other State health institutions.
We receive an average of 40-50 samples each day. Most samples are
transported by ambulances and packed in ice till they reach us within 24
hours.
As common as the cold
Next to the common cold, influenza or ‘the
flu’ is perhaps the most familiar respiratory infection in
the world. In the United States alone, approximately 25 to
50 million people contract influenza each year. The symptoms
of the flu are similar to those of the common cold, but tend
to be more severe.
Fever, headache, fatigue, muscle weakness
and pain, sore throat, dry cough, and a runny or stuffy nose
are common and may develop rapidly. Gastrointestinal
symptoms associated with influenza are sometimes experienced
by children, but for most adults, illnesses that manifest in
diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting are not caused by the
influenza virus though they are often inaccurately referred
to as the ‘stomach flu’.
A number of complications, such as the
onset of bronchitis and pneumonia, can also occur in
association with influenza and are especially common among
the elderly, young children, and anyone with a suppressed
immune system. |
Q: If a member of the public wishes to have the test done
individually at the MRI instead of in a hospital setting, will he be
charged?
A: Yes. The test we do is a very special confirmation test and
is very costly. Our fee is almost the cost of the test. We don’t earn
any profits from it. It is a service to the public.
If it is done in a government hospital it is free of charge.
Q: What kind of samples do you test for AH1N!?
A: The specimens we test are from nasal and throat swabs and
ET secretions ( i.e. secretions from the lungs etc.) The machines used
to test them are called the PLR – Poleme -rasa – reaction.
Q: How many cases are you able to confirm every day?
A: Between10 to 15
Q: Is there a drug for this virus?
A: No. Nowhere in the world are there drugs for viruses
because all viruses mutate.
Q: Is there a hotline which the public can use to obtain
further information and advice on Influenza AH1N1?
A: Contact us on 2681548 0r 0773291441 |
