Metropolis Healthcare gets NABL nod for conducting swine flu test

Metropolis is one of the few select labs in India to be authorised to carry out the Swine Flu test in the laboratory, as this requires specialized testing backed by high end technology and special sample collection requirements.

Swine Flu is caused by one or several types of influenza virus strains. The disease is infectious and symptoms of swine flu and seasonal flu are similar and hence it is imperative to seek medical advice.

Dr. Nilesh Shah, group president, scientific services and operations said, “We have observed a 4 times  surge of samples in the last one week. Fever with shortness of breath is a typical symptom. A positivity of 58% is observed. The high positivity percentage can be attributed to the fact that Metropolis only does Swine Flu testing against a medical prescription. Hence the sample we receive are off highly suspected patients with symptoms.”

In case of symptoms like continuous fever, accompanied with dry cough, chest discomfort and fatigue, it is recommended to contact the doctor immediately. Get a medical prescription and if your doctor has advised for a test, one needs to go to an authorized center for testing within 24 hours. Swine flu testing is done using real time PCR technique. 

Report can be shared the same day if it the sample if received before 9 am. If samples are received by evening, the reports are shared the next day.

The specimen of the infected material from the patient's throat or nose is collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness. This is the most infectious period of the disease. The infected person is most likely to be shedding the virus. In a recent Govt Epidemiology cell meeting, it was concluded that testing should be done on clinician request only for indicated cases as per Govt approved criteria. Metropolis adheres to international testing guidelines laid down by CDC and the protocol laid down by Government of Maharashtra.

Metropolis healthcare, nabl nod for conducting swine flu test