George Steuart Health donates Dengue NS1 Test Kits

In the wake of the dengue epidemic prevalent in the country, George Steuart Health, a leading pharmaceutical entity in Sri Lanka, in its continuous efforts in the battle against the deadly virus, donated Dengue NS1 Test Kits worth up to Rs. 1 million to the Ministry of Health last week to aid in its efforts to control the recent outbreak.

The epidemic has cost the lives of over 200 Sri Lankans to date and left hospitals inundated island wide. Over 71,000 cases have been reported since January 2017 while 40% of the cases reported are from the Western Province. 2016 saw the highest recorded number of cases, while conditions are observed to worsen in 2017.

The Dengue NS1 Test Kit, manufactured by Alere SD (USA), the Global Leader in Rapid Point of Care Testing, is used for the early detection of the dengue virus within a day of fever onset. The kit is proven to have over 98% specificity and sensitivity and utilises only three drops of blood for testing. Results of the test could be obtained within 20 minutes. NS1 test kits, recommended by the WHO as a prerequisite for treatment is now used as a standard diagnostic test for patients with febrile illness.

In addition to the NS1 test kits, George Steuart Health provides additional solutions for the prevention and treatment of dengue including the highly recommended Mino mosquito repellent and Maxmol – a brand of paracetamol for the control of fever.