With the number of Covid-19 infections set to go up, the country’s acquisition of this new piece of equipment couldn’t be more timely. It has become the standard method for disease detection due to its ability to do polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Without treatment, 52 per cent of HIV infected infants die by age two. The new machines will help in early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection in infants thereby greatly reducing mortality rates associated with delayed treatment. HIV testing on HIV exposed infants (HEI) is thus done in stages starting with a PCR test when a baby is 6-8 weeks old.

Source: Standard Digital July 05, 2020 21:00 UTC