PANJIM: Following directions from the Union Health Ministry, the State Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has banned the manufacture for sale, sale and distribution of the test kits used in ‘antibody detecting rapid diagnostic tests for routine diagnosis of malaria’ with immediate effect.
The Ministry observed that the use of these tests are not the solution to diagnose malaria as serological testing is not practical for routine diagnosis of acute parasite infectious diseases going by the time required for development of antibodies.
FDA has directed all government hospitals, urban health centres, community health centers, primary health centers, Goa Medical College and Hospital, ESI Hospitals, dispensaries, MPT hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, private nursing homes, drugs retailers, wholesalers, manufactures, Goa Medical Council/IMA as well as all registered medical practitioners that test kits used in antibody detecting rapid diagnostic test for routine diagnosis of malaria is banned with immediate effect for manufacture, sale and distribution.
In another direction, FDA has advised food handlers, food sellers and others to avoid handling currency and food simultaneously.
“Currency notes and coins are widely exchanged for goods and services by all sections of society. Handling of currency with unclean and soiled hands, use of saliva during counting, and storage under unhygienic conditions leads to its contamination with harmful microorganisms. Cross contamination from currency is a risk to human health leading to a wide variety of disease including food poisoning and skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections,” FDA said.
“Children, pregnant women, aged and immune-compromised person are particularly vulnerable to such infections,” they said.
FDA has asked food vendors to use gloves to handle food and bare hands to handle currency. Ideally, handling of food and money should be physically separated. After handling currency, hands should be thoroughly washed before touching food and vice versa.
