145;We are not a factory and cannot keep doing tests146;

His men declare a SARS test verdict after 18 to 20 hours inside a cordoned-off lab at Pune. In an interview with RANJANI RAMASWAMY before WH...

His men declare a SARS test verdict after 18 to 20 hours inside a cordoned-off lab at Pune. In an interview with RANJANI RAMASWAMY before WHO declared India SARS-free, A K Mishra, director of the National Institute of Virology NIV, says SARS is but a two-month-old disease. Even if they had an opinion, it could be wrong

Has India been caught napping on SARS?
How can you say that? It is a disease that has caught the whole world by surprise.

What were the scientific measures taken? Let it suffice to say that we were ready.
Our first civilian BSL-4 lab Bio safety level 4 or the highest security lab for dangerous diseases is still not established at NIV. Comment

First, for SARS a BSL-3 lab is more than adequate. But we are already procuring lab equipment such as BSL-4 class 2 bio-safety isolation cabinets. It is only the surroundings that have to be made BSL-4 compatible and that will take more time, maybe by November.

The DNA-based PCR test for SARS is not 100 per cent reliable. So do your test results convince you?
If it is not 100 per cent reliable, it is 99 per cent accurate. A positive test result is irrefutable, but a negative test result does not mean that it is not positive. So we do the PCR a number of times. When positive, we do a genetic sequencing exercise and only when that is a perfect match do we go ahead and declare the results. It takes 18-20 hours.

Doesn8217;t a PCR usually take around 3-4 hours?
Yes, but we go through many more complex processes. Besides, working with your arms inside an isolation cabinet is not easy

Was it difficult declaring the first SARS positive case?
Yes. We were afraid of the repercussions.

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Patients are being discharged once the fever eases. Is there still scope for the virus to spread? What should be the ideal quarantine period?
The decision to discharge and quarantine the patient is entirely on the Health and Family Welfare department. It does not concern NIV. This is barely a two-month-old disease. Even if we did have an opinion on it, that might turn out to be false at a later date with further understanding of the disease.

Is there reason to worry about contamination of samples collected by local hospital authorities?
Doctors know how to take swabs. We only deal with the samples when they get here.

Shouldn8217;t we test positive cases prior to discharge?
No, we are not a test factory. Once the original PCR is positive, we treat them till they are OK and asymptomatic. If they are cured, why do we need to keep testing them?

Is the PCR test the only test you are doing for SARS?
Yes, for now the PCR is the only test and it is quite adequate. For other tests we need more equipment.

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How are NIV scientists qualified to tackle SARS?
We may not have specialised experience in coronaviruses but we are used to dealing with all kinds of viruses every day.