At a time when RT-PCR test results are getting delayed in the district due to the dearth of an RNA extraction equipment, the Wayanad district panchayat has procured and handed over an RNA extractor to the district administration.
District panchayat president Shamsad Marakkar handed over the extractor to District Collector Adeela Abdulla here on Wednesday.
The equipment, worth ₹35 lakh, would be set up at the newly established laboratory of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Pookode, Mr. Marakkar told The Hindu.
Though tests are being conducted at the virology laboratory of the Health Department at Sulthan Bathery and Pookode, it would take at least four to five days to get the RT-PCR test results owing to the lack of the extractor, Mr. Marakkar said.
Once the equipment starts functioning, the untimely delay could be addressed effectively, he said.
The facility could also be used for diagnosing zoonotic disease like Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or Monkey fever, a viral disease transmitted to humans through a species of ticks usually found on monkeys and a major threat to people living on the fringes of the forest in the district, he said.
