A Point of Care for Nipah detection has been set up at the Government Medical College in Ernakulam.
Polymerase chain reaction tests can be conducted and results will be available within two hours. A space has been provided in the Microbiology laboratory at the college for the facility. All biological safety norms in personal protection equipment to conduct such tests are being used.
This facility reduces the risk of transporting dangerous samples to various places in case of emergency situations arising in case of outbreaks. The machine used in the testing can be used in the field too in case of outbreaks, said a senior official involved in the management of Nipah infection control.
The body fluid of the seventh suspected case, brought to the isolation ward earlier on Wednesday, was tested negative at the facility.
A team from Pune’s National Institute of Virolgy led by Dr. Reema Sahay, epidemiologist, Dr Anita Aich, virologist and Dr. Triparna, senior technical officer, along with Dr. B. Arun Kumar, virologist and in-charge of Alappuzha Virology Institute and technician Jijo Koshy had conducted the tests.