Send samples for measles testing to Ahmedabad: Maharashtra health department to Nashik Municipal Corporation

Nashik: The Maharashtra health department has directed the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) to send blood samples of suspected measles patients to the Ahmedabad-based BJ Medical College laboratory as the Mumbai-based testing facility is overloaded following the disease outbreak in the state capital.

NMC officials said they had been sending the blood samples of the suspected patients for testing to the Mumbai-based government laboratory.

“As the Mumbai-based laboratory is overloaded with test samples, we have been instructed to send the blood samples to the government laboratory in Ahmedabad. A courier agency has already been appointed for transporting the blood samples,” a senior NMC official said.

The officials said they sent 48 blood samples to the Mumbai laboratory for testing in November so far. “Of which, we have received reports of 30 and all have tested negative. The reports of the remaining 18 are yet to be received,” another civic official said.

NMC has appealed to people not to panic and approach the urban primary health centres of the civic body in case of measles symptoms. The civic officials said they have already taken all the measures to check an outbreak of measles in the city. “We have set up two isolation wards, one at Bytco hospital and another at Zakir Hussain hospital, to provide immediate treatment to the patients if they tested measles positive,” the official said.

In Pune, the civic health authorities have kept Naidu hospital ready to cater to the patients, in the need arises. So far, the Pune Municipal Corporation health department has sent 154 samples to Haffkine Institute for testing. In the case of Pimpri Chinchwad, over 100 samples have been sent to the Haffkine Institute so far, of which five samples are pending, while the rest have come negative.

On Sunday, the Indian Association of Paediatrics will hold a meeting with the officials of the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, as well as the World Health Organization, for better reporting and vaccination among children to prevent the spread of measles infection.

Dr Parag Gaikwad, president of, the Indian Association of Paediatrics, Pune Chapter, said, “During Sunday’s meeting, we will train paediatricians regarding the government protocol on measles detection.”