Rapid Testing Kits for Dengue
Dengue fever cases have increased in Goa, as they have in other regions of the country. However, due to the state’s excessive reliance on fast testing kits, the disease’s panic appears to have heightened with phoney positives.
Only 51 of the over 1000 suspected cases reported since January this year had been confirmed as dengue infections, according to Dr Kalpana, the health officer-in-charge of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) in Goa.
The reliability of rapid kits has been questionable, and the central government has asked states to discourage the use of rapid testing kits, Mahatme said.
“Dengue cases have been on the rise across the country, according to the Centre’s recent review meeting on chikungunya and dengue. We were also told not to use rapid test kits because they haven’t been validated and are likely to produce false positives, “According to the health officer.
In Goa, any viral fever is tested for dengue with quick test kits, which increases the number of suspect cases, but the confirmed cases are significantly lower.
