Dengue test kits now available for retail purchase online

PHILAB Holdings Corp., through its brand LABitDx, launches the Dengue NS1 Ag self-test screening kits available through the e-commere company Lazada Group.

Filipinos can now buy LABit Dx’s Dengue NS1 self-test screening kits online and can be delivered right in the comfort of their homes.

Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, Philab Holdings president, said the company is excited to announce that the self- test kits are finally available for the retail market.

Ms. Berberabe added that Philab decided to sell the product in Lazada.

com for its soft launch in preparation for a bigger roll out of the product in the following months.

“For now it is available online, but we hope to start delivering to drugstores nationwide so that everyone can have access to the test kits by first half of the year,” she noted.

According to Ms. Berberabe, the technology of the self-test kits will help doctors and hospitals cut down time in diagnosis.

“No more guessing at home and waiting for three days before you have yourself checked for dengue. Now, you can act faster because the test kit can be used at the start of a fever symptom and provides result in as fast as 15 minutes,” she said.

Data from the Department of Health showed that as of July 2016, children ages between five and 14 are most prone to dengue, while mortality rate is highest among kids between zero to five years old. As of October last year, there were 161,000 reported cases of dengue.

“We hope to help curb the mortality rate of this disease with the selftest kit technology. Time is important when dealing with a disease such as dengue — a day of delayed administering of treatment can be fatal for the patient,” Mr. Berberabe explained.