PAHO donates diagnostic tests to Latin American and Caribbean nations
- Written by Prensa Latina
- Published in World
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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) donated 190,000 antigen diagnostic tests for Covid-19 to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the international organization reported today.
The nations benefited by PAHO are El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, and Suriname.
In addition, the international organization is to carry out pilot tests for its implementation in Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Suriname.
The new studies could transform the region's response to Covid-19 by enabling healthcare personnel to conduct accurate and rapid examinations on symptomatic patients, even in remote communities.
According to the release, quick antigen tests are more accurate in determining whether someone is infected, as opposed to earlier rapid antibody tests, which show when someone has the disease, but often give a negative result during the early stages of the infection.
In addition, PAHO is helping countries in the region to implement new protocols so that health workers are clear about how to use the new tests and report their results.
In this regard, a series of consultations and training on the application of the quick antigen diagnostic test are underway in Jamaica and Venezuela, as well as in Honduras, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago.
According to PAHO, antigen tests do not replace PCR, but rather complement molecular detection.
Antigen-based detection should be a priority for outpatient or mild suspected cases and eventually in confirmed patient contacts in closed settings.
The use in other types of processes such as ports of entry or in the search for asymptomatic cases is not currently recommended, PAHO warned.