View Point: Valuable use of antibody based instead of molecular based techniques for diagnosing seasonal viral outbreaks

Regular seasonal outbreaks of various infectious agents on the background of other sporadic diseases require confirming diagnosis of each patient for the Government health system. Initiation of any seasonal outbreak starts as sporadic cases, in remote locations which have minimal infrastructure. It is thus necessary to adopt an easier bedside methodology for detection and diagnosis. It is necessary to have appropriate infrastructure, and trained manpower for gene detection methodology. However, it is also necessary to keep in mind the cost of bedside gene detection diagnostics, especially in low budget health system. Usually in remote endemic regions, approach to the health system often causes delays in reaching the health support by the patient. In many infectious agents, the duration between the site of multiplication of infectious agent in primary and secondary symptomatic ailment, is more than one week. Thus, infectious agents get sufficient time to be cleared by the immune system. However, antibody response remains for a longer period in the form of IgM. Low cost, stability of reagents and ease in handling tests by partially trained health staff makes it easy and can alert the onset of seasonal outbreak. It is thus proposed that research on antibody methodology should be supported as a preferred method along with defined clinical symptoms. This will help public health system to contain the morbidity and possibly the spread of the outbreak.