Facilities for conducting leptospirosis RT-PCR test have been arranged in 10 government laboratories in the State, a statement issued by Health Minister Veena George on Friday said.
Leptospirosis is a life-threatening zoonotic disease and delays in recognising or diagnosing the infection and initiating treatment has been associated with significant mortality. At present, all medical colleges and major government hospitals are offering the IgM Elisa test for detecting leptospirosis. However, this test can detect leptospirosis only 4-7 days after the onset of the symptoms.
The RT-PCR testing facility will enable the diagnosis of leptospirosis during the initial period from the onset of symptoms, so that treatment can be initiated without delay. The Health department has now come out with a new Standard Operating Procedure, which includes all protocols that should be followed right from sample collection till the results are obtained. All districts can avail of the new testing facilities for leptospirosis.
The 10 laboratories equipped with the RT-PCR test facilities are Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College, State Public Health Laboratory (Thiruvananthapuram); Regional Public Health lab (Pathanamthitta); ICMR-NIV lab (Alappuzha); Ernakulam Regional Public Health lab; Thrissur Government Medical College; Kozhikode Regional Public Health lab; Wayanad District Public Health lab and Kannur Regional Public Health lab.
