Nepal

TB test cartridges in short supply

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Kathmandu, July 5 There is a scarcity of GeneXpert test cartridges necessary for screening of tuberculosis in the country. The Genexpert test is a molecular test for tuberculosis which diagnoses TB by detecting the presence of TB bacteria.

It uses a sputum sample and can give results in less than two hours. It can also detect genetic mutations associated with resistance to the drug Rifampicin.

An antibiotic, Rifampicin is used for prevention and treatment of tuberculosis and other infections. The GeneXpert test is available in 57 TB diagnostic centres across the country.

However, 15 of the 57 centres have been facing a shortage of test cartridges for the past one week. There has been a wide use of GeneXpert test this year as the national survey of tuberculosis is under way, said Bhim Singh Tinkari, director at National Tuberculosis Centre. &The tests for tuberculosis have tripled this year.

We are working to bring down the number of tuberculosis patients to zero by 2035, hence the increased tests,& added Tinkari.

National Tubercluosis Centre had purchased 90,000 cartridges last year. The country needs at least 120,000 cartridges a year.

We have been contacting the supplier and it will take at least a week time for the supply of the cartridges, said Tinkari. As many as 18 deaths are attributed to TB every day.

A total of 123 new tuberculosis cases are reported on a daily basis.

Some 34 cases of TB are not reported to hospitals.

It is estimated that 44,000 new infections occur annually, while TB accounts for 5,000 to 7,000 deaths in a year across the country, according to NTC. The post TB test cartridges in short supply appeared first on The Himalayan Times.




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