North Bengal Med College & Hosp to have adenovirus testing facility

MP | 5 Mar 2023 | Siliguri: North Bengal can now combat Adenovirus effectively as speedy detection will now be possible. 

Adenovirus testing will start in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in the next eight to ten days. Gautam Deb, Chairman of Hospital Patient Welfare Association (Rogi Kalyan Samiti) said this after a detailed meeting with the NBMCH authorities on Saturday. At present, there is no testing facility for Adenovirus in North Bengal. 

Samples are sent to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) and Tropical Medicine in Kolkata. At least 50 samples can be tested per day at the NBMCH once testing commences. Samples will be sent to NBMCH from all the districts of North Bengal. “No one has been infected with Adenovirus yet in Siliguri. The situation is under control. However, various wards have been asked to be ready. 

There was a problem with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) kit for the Adenovirus test. We have given instructions for calling a tender again. The test will start here in the next eight to ten days.

Adenovirus detection will take less time if that service is introduced in the hospital. It can help in starting the treatment immediately after detection,” added the chairman. Earlier, in 2021 the State Health department had given Rs 15 lakh for the testing of adeno and rhinovirus. However, due to no response to the tender call, the money had been returned in October 2022. That money has been asked for again. Tenders have also been called for kits.

Till now, no samples have been sent to Kolkata for Adenovirus tests, as no symptoms of Adenovirus have been found in any child in this region. However, at present, 32 people are under treatment for Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) in the hospital. The meeting was mainly about the Adenovirus infection situation. 

Hospitals are asked to be prepared to take necessary measures in case of an outbreak. But in states where Adeno infections are on the rise, deaths have been reported as well. There has not been a single case of Adenovirus in this region so far. The hospital has taken the initiative of quick examination. 

The NBMCH has set up an ARI Outdoor Unit at the hospital premises to decrease the patient’s rush in the Out Patient Department (OPD). Dr Sanjay Mallick, the Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Indrajit Saha, Principal, Dr Sandeep Sengupta and others were present at Saturday’s meeting.  

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/north-bengal-med-college-hosp-to-have-adenovirus-testing-facility-510762