ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Diagnostic kits for dengue fever have run short in the market posing problems for the hospitals that are receiving suspected cases.

Public sector hospitals say they desperately need these kits to screen the suspected cases, which are increasing with each passing day. However, the importers of these kits expect their arrival in 2-3 weeks time.

The Eid holidays and influx of a large number of patients are all adding up to a serious impending situation, as more and more people are arriving here from the endemic areas particularly Sindh.

Microbiologist Prof Dr Abbas Hayat, head of the pathology department Rawalpindi Medical College, fears that Karachi-like serious epidemic can spread in Punjab also. Sixteen people suspected of dengue fever, some with viral haemorrhagic features, were admitted to Rawalpindi General Hospital only on Monday.

Two types of tests are available for dengue fever, one is immunochromatography (ICT) or Rapid, which is simple but not specific, whereas the other is the ELISA method that is time consuming, but specific and can differentiate between present and past infection with 98 per cent accuracy.

National Institute of Health (NIH), the focal centre for the dengue fever tests, is performing IGM and IGG tests through ELISA method. The IGM tests may take few days, while IGG tests could be available the same day, subject to the timely receipt of the sample at the NIH labs.

A rapid test costs around Rs300, while the ELISA may cost about Rs1,000 per test.

There are some five major companies involved in the import of diagnostic kits.

Representatives of companies importing the test kits confirmed their unavailability in the market. They have attributed the shortage to market dynamics as this disease was previously rarely found in the country and hence the kits were not imported in adequate numbers.

There has been a sudden outbreak and it is an emergency now, one of the medical representatives conceded.