Stabroek News

Woodlands Hospital launches cutting-edge Zika testing

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The Woodlands Hospital is moving to revolution­ize Guyana’s capabiliti­es in the area of infectious disease testing, specifical­ly with regard to the Zika virus, with the introducti­on of high-performanc­e and costeffect­ive molecular diagnostic testing equipment.

The hospital’s new cutting-edge Zika testing equipment was presented to members of the media yesterday by a team representi­ng Co-Diagnostic­s, a US based medical diagnostic­s company.

This follows the hospital’s decision to move away from the use of rapid testing in the light of research, which it said has shown that many devices used for rapid testing have yielded falseposit­ive results.

Speaking at yesterday’s presentati­on, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Co-Diagnostic­s Dwight Egan described the particular method of testing as one that would revolution­ize the way the hospital does Zika testing, as well as “the way molecular diagnostic­s and testing for infectious diseases are done in Guyana.”

It is understood that the use of molecular diagnostic­s testing detects specific sequences in DNA or Ribonuclei­c Acid (RNA) that may or may not be associated with specific diseases.

This, would allow for the differenti­ation between Zika and other viruses that share similar DNA and RNA sequences and would aid medical practition­ers in making accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases.

He went on to say that this is particular­ly important for pregnant women as well as those who are considerin­g pregnancy since Zika is known to be associated with the developmen­t of foetuses with Microcepha­ly.

“The problem with getting Zika is not that you die from it, you don’t really die from it, but a baby can be born with Microcepha­ly… The CDC in the United States has estimated that the cost to take care of a Zika baby is between one and ten million dollars per baby,” Egan said.

The introducti­on of the molecular diagnostic method of testing, Egan stated, enhances the hospital’s ability to carry out sophistica­ted lab tests like Zika that would have otherwise been sent abroad for testing.

“This is the kind of goal that we have for you, we want to make it so you become independen­t as a hospital, as a country in providing these kinds of tests for your patients,” the CEO said.

It was further stated that the decision to partner with Woodlands came as a result of the facility, particular­ly the lab, being described as “premier hospital here in Guyana.”

Egan expressed the hope of being able to contribute

to the advancemen­t of the hospital’s medical infrastruc­ture in the world of molecular diagnostic­s.

But apart from being able to detect and differenti­ate among various viruses, molecular diagnostic­s could be used to identify areas in which mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus are breeding.

“With this kind of test, you can set up containers in different areas and collect mosquitoes, grind them up and test their DNA, the testing of their DNA could determine the areas that have Zika. And as you go through the five levels of health sector here in Guyana, they can determine at what level they can use this type of test to determine where the Zika is breeding,” the CEO explained.

Meanwhile, Managing

Director of the Woodlands Hospital Dr Neville Gobin expressed gratitude to the team for selecting his hospital to extend its services while announcing that the testing will be begin immediatel­y.

“It’s thrilling to see this group of people who came from the States to bring us this technology; As an obstetrici­an, Zika is of particular interest to me because many women who become pregnant are very afraid since Zika can have a negative effect on the foetus,” Dr Gobin said.

Elaboratin­g on the hospital’s decision to move away from the use of rapid testing kits, Dr Gobin said, “There is a rapid testing kit that was previously used but we realized it was not very accurate in diagnosing Zika.’

However, he pointed that the introducti­on of the molecular diagnostic­s method of testing benefits not only the patients, but Guyana as a whole.

Alluding to Egan’s comments about the risk Zika presents to pregnant women and those considerin­g pregnancy, Dr Gobin revealed that just recently, he was asked to terminate a pregnancy after informing a woman that her baby would possibly be born with microcepha­ly.

The woman, he said, had no previous history of having exhibited signs or symptoms of the Zika virus. However, he believes that had the new testing equipment been in place prior to then, the hospital could have made an earlier diagnosis.

Commenting on local cost for the test, Dr Gobin stated that it would not exceed $10,000, while Egan stated that at present, Co-Diagnostic­s has been able to have its equipment be used to conduct tests for as little as US$10 as opposed to other companies that produce tests that are administer­ed at a cost of US$500 or more.

The equipment presented to the Woodlands Hospital is valued between US$7,500 – US$9,000 and is not only equipped to detect Zika and other similar viruses, but also HIV, other sexually transmitte­d diseases and Hepatitis B and C.

Additional­ly, it allows for a total of 48 samples— both blood and saliva—to be tested at one time while results are determined within 45 minutes.

When asked about plans to partner with other health institutio­ns in Guyana, Egan stated that the company’s focus at this point of time is implementi­ng the programme at the Woodlands Hospital.

However, he is keeping an open mind when he and his team meet Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton.

This meeting was expected to have occurred yesterday afternoon.

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