The approval of the Union Ministry of health and family welfare for setting up a molecular lab in department of microbiology at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) has paved the way for test of samples of Swine Flu in Dehradun. The Ministry has accepted the proposal of the GDMC to provide equipment and manpower for the lab. The principal GDMC, Dr Pradip Bharati Gupta told The Pioneer that the lab would start functioning within one month after which the swab samples of swine flu-suspected patients would be tested in Dehradun itself. He said that the Union Health Ministry would provide equipment worth Rs 4 crore for the laboratory at the department of microbiology in the college. He added that the department of Microbiology would soon have a virology lab. He also heaped praise on the efforts of the head of the department ( HoD), Microbiology Dr Shekhar Pal on the matter.
It is worth mentioning here that in the absence of an approved testing laboratory, the health and family welfare department of Uttarakhand sends the samples of suspected patients for detection of H1 N1 virus (Swine Flu) to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi due to which the arrival of reports is delayed.
The delay in the arrival of reports of swine flu tests from Delhi complicates things for the health department officials, doctors and the family members of the suspected patients. Things become particularly grim when Swine Flu peaks as NCDC takes at least a week to send report.
The delay in arrival of reports of swine flu usually results in a situation where either the patient dies or they recuperate by the time the reports arrive.
Swine flu is a viral disease and its virus is known as H1 N1. Its genetic analysis has shown that it has originated from the animals specially pigs. Hence its name. The virus spreads from person to person, something similar to that of seasonal influenza.