Urban News

With private labs and hospitals claiming the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was under-reporting the number of dengue cases and deaths in the Capital — the city confirmed its fourth death on Monday — officials said results of the rapid test kits may be approved as a confirmatory test by the government next year. The test is already popular among private laboratories and hospitals to detect dengue.

Last month, the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme had said it was thinking of approving the NS-1 Antigen as a confirmatory test. However, it will not be until next year that the test will be included in the list. Till now, cost has been a prohibitive factor in making NS-1 a confirmatory test as the kits that the government will have to buy cost around Rs 400 each.

“In any public health programme, cost is a big factor. These testings have no therapeutic significance, only a numerical value. So we are only at a preliminary stage. But it is going to be done next year,” said MCD health officer Dr V K Monga. “Because the Elisa test is done for free and the government doesn’t have to buy the kits, we are continuing it for this year. We have no time or funds to implement it this year.”

Now, as per the Central guidelines, the MCD doesn’t include in its statistics positive tests done using NS-1. The civic body only counts the numbers of cases that test positive by using IgM capture Elisa, which also tests for antibodies and is more specific and sensitive. NS-1 kits are expensive compared to the Elisa kit supplied by the government, but helps diagnose patients earlier and provide care sooner, said doctors. 

Officials said the new test, if approved by the government, will also help them manage the hospital infrastructure better. Swamped by nervous patients queuing up to either get tested or admitted, Delhi is now witnessing a shortage of doctors, trained staff and hospital beds.

Dr Ravi Gupta of the Saral Diagnostic Center said it was time the government approved the test. “NS-1 is an antigen present on the surface of the virus, so if the result is positive then you are most likely to have dengue. Not all strains of dengue are life-threatening, but nobody is willing to wait it out for five days to confirm if they have the disease. With the rapid tests, they can know in a few hours. Even though complications in certain strains develop only later, they get to know if they have the disease,” Dr Gupta said.

Dr Gupta said the disease had already assumed epidemic proportions. Lab owners said the number is more than double what the MCD is reporting.

Deaths on monday one
Total number of deaths so far
4 deaths,3 suspected
Total Number of dengue cases
1,370cases with 75 cases reported on Monday.
FOURTH DEATH:The Capital confirmed its fourth dengue death on Monday. While 26-year-old Rakesh died at the Safdarjung Hospital two days ago, the MCD confirmed the death after tests on Monday. However, private hospitals that rely on NS-1 testing say there are more than four deaths. Rakesh lived near the IGI Airport
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