Latest update June 25th, 2026 9:38 AM
Local Training to test for HINI virus gets underway today
As was assured by Director of the National Public Health Reference Laboratory, Dr Colin Roach, local laboratory staffers will be exposed to training which will boost their ability to diagnose the HINI virus, commonly referred to as the Swine Flu.
Commencing today, a one week workshop, facilitated by representatives of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organisation, will be held at the Lab’s Thomas and New Market Streets, Georgetown, location.
It was just last December, Dr Roach revealed that reagents had begun coming into the country, thus measures were being streamlined for staffers to be trained to conduct the HINI test which he had then noted was slated for this month. “About four persons have been identified for training. The resource person from CDC will be here for two weeks so the second week will be to ensure that whatever is thought is clear…,” Dr Roach had related to this newspaper. He explained that training for staffers is essential as testing for the HINI virus is a semi-automated process. This he said simply means that the first part of the process is done manually and the second part is automated. At the completion of the training course, Dr Roach said that the laboratory’s capacity will be completely boosted.
Since the invasion of the virus which is commonly referred to as the Swine Flu, last year, the local Ministry of Health has been reliant on the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) based in Trinidad. However, with hands on training set to start today, the laboratory will be poised to become the single local facility with the necessary equipment and personnel to test for the swine flu virus and other exotic virus strains with the aid of Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Chain Reaction RRT- PCR.
The prestigious laboratory which has been deemed a “Centre of Excellence” has within its confines seven departments including Hematology, Chemistry, Tuberculosis, Quality Assurance, Surveillance and Bacteriology. The Bacteriology department, according to Dr Roach, comes under the Georgetown Public Hospital and is staffed by about seven persons who are paid by the Corporation. Another 22 staffers can be found within the other departments and are remunerated by the Ministry of Health, Dr Roach said.
Currently, the capabilities of the Reference Centre stand out as it is able to process thousands of samples on a monthly basis with an average of 600 samples from the TB suites, 700 from the Cd4 Suites, and about 1,000 from Serology Suites.
A part of Polymerase Chain Reaction testing system
Dr Roach in an earlier interview had revealed that the facility is not only engaged in doing routine tests but rather specialised tasks. And these he said include Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Polymerase Chain Reaction (DNA-PCR) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) PCR which are completely new to Guyana.
He had explained that the DNA-PCR is the test used to diagnosis babies who are born from HIV positive mothers. And this is a breakthrough for the public health system, since according to Dr Roach, in the past, such diagnosis could have only been confirmed until 18 months had elapsed.
And with the RNA-PCR, the viral load measurement, that is the measure of the severity of an infection, lab personnel are able to monitor HIV patients that are on Anti-Retroviral (ARV).
All results readings that emanate from the sophisticated machines are read in totality by staffers of the laboratory.
He had revealed then too that the testing capacity of the Laboratory is poised for significant expansion. “We will be able to do many other things and some of those would be the HINI virus (Swine Flu) testing. We just have to get a few other little things. This is because there is not one reagent doing everything each test is unique so we have to build around the capacity we now have.”
Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, is expected to make opening remarks at the opening of the workshop.
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