Zika testing commences at Woodlands Hospital

Woodlands Hospital has commenced molecular testing for the Zika Virus, following the training of several of the Hospital’s technicians.
The institution’s Quality Manager, Roger Astwood noted that testing commenced a week ago, and since then, there have been a significant number of patients coming in to utilise the service. Most of these patients, he said, are being referred from other hospitals.
Woodlands Hospital has partnered with Co-diagnostics, a US molecular diagnostics company, to start Zika testing.
Managing Director of the hospital, Dr Neville Gobin, has reassured persons that they would know if they were infected in less than an hour. The Hospital has moved away from rapid testing for the Virus, as research has shown that many of the devices used for rapid testing have yielded false positive results.
He stated that the device, which comprises a computer and a testing kit, has the capacity to test 48 people at a time. Guyana is among the first South American countries to be on board with the PCR Zika technology.
A blood or saliva sample from the individual to be tested would be taken and placed into one of the tubes, which would then be inserted into the box. The test would then differentiate between Zika and its cousin viruses, especially Chikungunya and dengue.
The molecular diagnostic test can also test where there is a mutation of mosquitoes that can possibly be infected with Zika. Dr Egan explained that devices could be placed at strategic locations to catch the mosquitoes, grind them and use the resultant samples to test for the presence of the Zika Virus.
The Woodlands Hospital is charging $5000 for the test, which will yield results in an hour.