New Delhi:
The central government is considering a ban on the sale of rapid dengue diagnostic test kits for their "non-reliable" test results.
"We have been holding talks with experts of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Soon we may come out with a notification banning the use and sale of Rapid Card Test (RCT) used for detection of dengue as they are not reliable," Jagdish Prasad, Director General, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told reporters today.
The Union Health Ministry has also decided to seek reports from hospitals in Delhi including AIIMS, RML and Safdarjung to ensure that there is no "fudging" of dengue numbers reported in the national capital.
The decision comes amidst reports that the Delhi government is deliberately underplaying the number of dengue cases and not giving out proper figures.
"We recommend ELISA based IgM kits provided by National Institute of Virology (NIV) at 499 Sentinel surveillance hospitals and 15 Apex Referral Laboratories to facilitate free diagnosis," Mr Prasad said.
The official noted that Elisa method is "sensitive, specific and reliable" while rapid dengue antigen test or on-the-spot test which gives result in an hour, may provide false results and ultimately lead to inaccurate treatment.
In Elisa method, it takes six to seven hours for the results to come out. As per the guidelines of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), NS1 Elisa test is considered reliable for confirmation of dengue infection, he said.
The Ministry has also asked AIIMS, RML Hospital, Safdarjung hospital, Lady Hardinge hospital, GB Pant and Lok Nayak hospitals for the number of dengue cases reported and the number of deaths due to the disease.
"Since there have been allegations that the Delhi government is underplaying the dengue figures, I will seek reports from major individual hospitals," Prasad said.
According to the Ministry, in Delhi, the number of dengue cases reported this year till September 5 has reached 1,259 while two persons have succumbed to it.
The Ministry further informed that 19,704 dengue cases have been reported in the country till September 6, with 2,723 cases being reported in the 36th week alone.
Karnataka has recorded the highest number of cases at 3,419 with 4 deaths, followed by Kerala (2,930 with 19 deaths), Tamil Nadu (2,287 with 5 deaths), Arunachal Pradesh (1,682 with 4 deaths), Andhra Pradesh (1,633), Maharashtra (1,365 with 4 deaths) and Delhi (1,259 with 2 deaths).
The case fatality ratio calculated as number of deaths due to dengue per 100 cases is 0.20 per cent which is considered to be very low as per international experiences, the Health Ministry said.
Last year till Aug 31, 10,097 cases of dengue were reported across India.
With demand for platelets shooting up across the city, the Ministry has directed all government blood banks to stock enough platelets and also asked private blood banks to ensure their availability at nominal rates.
"Prevention and management of dengue is the only way out. Elimination of dengue is not possible as the eggs of aedes mosquito can survive in dry conditions for almost nine months," Mr Prasad said.
The official said that there is no need to panic if the platelets count is decreasing as it is not the only criteria to determine the clinical status of a person suffering from dengue.
"Platelets transfusion is not required in all cases. Doctors need to take the decision based on clinical conditions like bleeding tendencies, low blood pressure and others," he added.