Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

[Tonka]

Why can't they come up with a test for AH1N1 that works quickly and is actually correct?

The State of Veracruz in Mexico has banned the current rapid test-
Article from Shiloh.

Veracruz: rapid test ban

Source: http://www.e-consulta.com/veracruz/i...3541&Itemid=28

SSA prohibits rapid test for influenza is 20% confidence
By Evaristo Gutierrez Ramirez
Friday, October 16th, 2009


The Ministry of Health and Welfare (SSA), through the health jurisdiction in Veracruz number VIII banned all private hospitals and clinics perform quick tests to see if the patient has influenza A virus, as it has a twenty percent reliability and is causing alarm among the population.

Interviewed in the event the "World Food Day," Dr. Hugo Z?rate Amescua, head of the health jurisdiction revealed number eight: "The famous rapid test that no longer apply and fortune are already doing.

Because the rapid test is simply unmistakable sign that has influenza. If any of you say you came out positive test, they will feel alarmed, and now we are alarmed when the confirmatory test is not

is H1N1 or is seasonal, meaning they have a reliability of at least 20 percent. "

The doctor admitted that the top openings have also served to alarm the public and believed that people should bear the mouth are the top who are sick or were sick with Influeza, although it was recommended to owners of restaurants that dependent table must to port to avoid any infection and it is they who are most in touch with people.

Amescua Zarate said: "Influenza is not just a severe flu and that if we limit ourselves to time in the first seventy-two hours as the antiviral treatment is a very good response, but unfortunately people do not seek treatment that they believe which is a flu and stay home or self-medication, are complicated.

The Head of Jurisdiction Health stressed: "They die from complications of other bacteria or a fungus, being immunocompromised are added other types of germs that are sometimes cause death and not directly the H1N1".

On the occasion of sudden temperature changes, the doctor recommended: "We must guard against these sudden changes in temperature are affecting us more if we walk from place to place working and walking, etc., well have to wait a little in the shade before entering our homes or our jobs, to warm the climate. "

Many people are in climate and then they go out with this heat and these changes can lead to disease, or when walking in the street and go home or source of work where climate, the temperature changes abruptly That must be very careful.

Anyone know??
T

 

[Flufreak]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

I do not know why.

What I do know is that a not very sensitive rapid test and the apparent lack of a decent serology test as well have put us all in a bad place because we have no clue how many infected people there were and how many there are now.

see cross post:

http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2009/t091020.htm

snipped from the CDC Tuesday media briefing, a response to a question about the Purdue study:

"David Lewkowict: Just one quick question, it also talked about 60% of the people that would get H1N1 are going to be asymptomatic, is that true of yours as well?

Anne Schuchat: Influenza can use illnesses that you see symptoms with, and it can also cause infection without any symptoms. We don't know the amount of asymptomatic results. I don't expect results from studies for quite some time. What I can say that the vast majority of people are still susceptible to this infection, particularly those under 65. And we think that even with of the increase in illness and disease that we're seeing right now, still, the vast majority of people are susceptible"


My opinion: the lack of this knowledge has very serious implications!
My opinion: the reason(s) for the lack of this knowledge has very serious implications!

I started this thread back in JUNE. The CDC was talking about it back then.
What the he ck is going on? Is the concept of "worried well" a myth?
Does getting sick confer protective immunity or not?
Does the "protective immunity" from the vaccine protect you?
Has this virus brought us a new paradigm in influenza -immune system interaction?

 

[kent nickell]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

Just some off the cuff remarks... The rapid test was basically designed to be a screening test for seasonal human type A and B influenza... The new swine flu is type A but largely swine.. Similar to avian flu, the swine flu does not show up as well on the rapid tests and they are not as reliable... (there are many types of rapid tests and some have developed better performance characteristics for swine flu) State labs that have more robust type A screening that includes human, swine and avian do much better... Probably a good use of state and other reference labs would be to refer to them severe cases of ILI that require hospitalization but that test negative on the rapid test.. This may help pick up changes in the virus... For treatment, esp of high risk groups such as pregnant women, this is also why you don't want to rely on the rapid test but begin treatment if appropriate symptoms start to develop...

It seems to me unlikely that the basic interaction of influenza virus with antibodies has changed but there has always been the battle against antigenic drift.....

 

[Flufreak]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

unprecedented, surprising, unlikely

The CDC and other scientists are using these words a lot this year.

My favorite quote of the year still stands: "The only thing predictable about influenza is that it is unpredictable" by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan (I'm pretty sure she said this first)

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

Cost may be a factor. Is it really justified to spend hundreds of dollars for detailed testing for every patient? Probably not. I doubt insurance companies want to pay a high cost just to develop statistics.

Every case of seasonal flu is not tested - we live with estimates based on a sampling.

However, it is important to do random sampling and severe case testing to detect genetic changes.

.

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

. . . However, it is important to do random sampling and severe case testing to detect genetic changes.

Agreed. There should be some kind of replicable, probablistic sampling so we have some idea of the "real" numbers of H1N1 infections (and deaths).

I think it reflects verly poorly on the CDC when they are just guessing about numbers. It makes their numbers no better than the guesses we post here at FT.

 

[vt.mathgirl]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

OTC pregnancy tests have been fine-tuned - cheap, easy, and effective. Why not do-it-yourself flu tests? Is the technology really beyond us?

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

Do you really need a "rapid test" in these days?

If you see a patient: look at him or her, if necessary give treatment.

If it looks like flu, why testing?

Flipping a coin will give you the same result and much cheaper?

Treat the patient, not the test.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

Do you really need a "rapid test" in these days?

If you see a patient: look at him or her, if necessary give treatment.

If it looks like flu, why testing?

Flipping a coin will give you the same result and much cheaper?

Treat the patient, not the test.

I agree.

 

[tropical]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

#8/9: ...

It probably isn't so simply when the infections are so frequent, or repetitive, with similar initial symptoms as cold/synus/throat light infections, maybe without temp., and without any individual knowledge, to know if it will going bad and take meds with possible side effects, but needed if it is real.

Do we every time ingest a double dose of antivirals as in some cases (initialy treated by 1 box only), or take it every time a cold symptoms approach us?
How many did it until now (even from FT members), in a 2 days first symptoms schedule?

Alternative compounds measures are proclamed unseen from the CDC recent transcription,
and it seems many members have some kind of it (many un-tested) already, no matter the measures taken.


The state/private producers failed because of this absence of cheap mass home rapid tests, added to non-adjuvanted vaccine absence,
as already said to be a neccessary goal before this pandemic (and as said by vt.mathgirl in this thread also).

 

[morningperson]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

In the next few months and years, accurate rapid H1N1 tests will most likely be developed and used, but there is a lag time with the emergence of this new strain.

A new test has received emergency FDA approval, but I don't know anything about its accuracy, cost, production and distribution time, etc... most certainly won't be around when we need it most-in the next few months...

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/10/fda_gives_emergency_use_author.html

 

[tropical]

Re: Why Is There No Rapid Test That Works Correctly?

#11

Thanks Morningperson.
I hope it too.


But in the meantime ...
after 6 months, it seems easier to launch a new satellite product, than hammering out of production a cheap handheld flu virus rapid test.

Maybe to invest the enormous money pot for beauty creams productions and reclamizations to the anti-pandemic customers shore ...