Loren urges DOH to put up own test labs for infectious diseases

Senator Loren Legarda urged today the Department of Health (DOH) to acquire the capability to test persons suspected of having highly contagious diseases, including the dreaded A(H1N1) virus.

"I commend the procurement by health officials of A(H1N1) testing kits to validate the results of specimens we send to laboratories abroad for testing," said Loren, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

"We must acquire the capability to test for various contagious diseases as time is of the essence in containing their spread. We cannot forever be dependent on laboratories outside the country."

But having the A(H1N1) testing kits - if only to validate the results of the specimens sent abroad - is a good start, said Loren, adding that it is always good to counter check test results.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) sends specimens collected from potential A(H1N1) patients to laboratories in Japan, the United States and Australia.

The A(H1N1) test kits, on the other hand are sourced from the US Center for Disease Control based in Atlanta.

Loren said that while a single case of A(H1N1) infection has yet to be confirmed in the Philippines, the government must have a system of containing the virus if detected locally.

"There's no underestimating the lethality of this virus, thus there's no putting our guard down. Japan has already confirmed cases of A(H1N1), ditto with Thailand and Cuba. Nobody knows who is next.

"The worst case scenario, according to Loren, is for A(H1N1) infections going undetected and spreading among the population before being detected by health officials.

"That's a nightmarish situation as government would have to track every single individual that had contact with the infected persons," she said.