SRIKAKULAM: Responding to the report on private diagnostic labs and a few private hospitals making fast money by falsifying dengue test reports published in TNIE on Monday, officials of the district medical and health office, following directives of DM&HO S Tirupathi Rao, have issued strict written instructions and circulated them to all private diagnostic laboratories and private hospitals in the district, directing them not to confirm dengue on the basis of NS1 screening test alone.
Speaking to TNIE, Tiruapthi Rao said they took the report very seriously, after it was brought to his notice. He said that they — the lab technicians and even doctors, who were served the notices — should not confirm dengue only by conducting NS1 screening test as it is not conclusive and will create panic. He also directed them to refer all NS1 positive cases for ELISA test to confirm dengue. However, this test is only available at RIMS, Srikakulam.
“Every lab report should mention “confirm with ELISA test”, followed by dengue screening test NS1,” he said. Speaking on the prevalence of dengue in the district, he said that only 10 cases were reported since January this year in the district and all patients had recovered.
He also said that there were 57 cases reported in 2017 and 114 in 2016. No dengue deaths were reported so far this year in the district, he said. For record, the district has 130 diagnostic laboratories and 109 registered hospitals.