Mexico is moving: Begin to locate influenza rapid tests

Mexico City .- It started out of the 110 caravans were positioned at fixed points of the Federal District and Mexico State, which was tested for rapid identification of influenza and locate potential carriers of swine influenza virus .

Traveling medical clinics are located, 78 in the Federal District and the rest in the State of Mexico. They are doctors and 340 nurses working that over the past two years have worked in health caravans and even gave support to the people in the flooded Tabasco.

Maki Ortiz Dominguez, Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Quality in the Health Department, reported that the first areas of attention due to the higher incidence are located in the heart of the city of Mexico, North and South, without specifying delegations, while in the State of Mexico and are Ecatepec Nezahualcóyolt which serve the population.

According to the list provided by the unit in the capital airport will be located four of these mobile clinics, there are many others in the mall and the headquarters offices of the secretaries of the federal government, such as Education, Interior, Environment Environment, Finance and the Attorney General, among others.

The official explained that the 275 thousand tests will apply to those who submit to an influenza symptoms, to determine if it is the only virus type A or type B. Doctors and nurses take samples from the nasal mucosa with a swab, it will be placed in a test tube has a reagent and allowed to stand for a minute. Subsequently placed on a strip that will identify through colors if it is positive for influenza type A or B.

If the examination is in a blue color means that the person does not have the influenza virus, but if the color is pink and will be positive depending on whether the location of the color is up or down will be defined if the type A or B .

Patients whose results are the color pink and has given up on the reagent will be treated as patients suspected of having the virus of swine influenza as long as signs of confirmation, such as a fever of between 38 and 40 degrees, fatigue, pain head and increase in respiratory rate. They are referred to hospitals where the epidemic is addressed. In the case of persons with an exacerbation of symptoms, will be deployed in ambulances.

Deputy Ortiz Dominguez, said that the opening hours of these mobile clinics will be from 9 am to 6 pm during the next 30 days.

All tests that are suspicious about the virus will be sent to a specialized laboratory that will confirm or exclude the diagnosis, but emphasized that the purpose of these reviews is to address the rapid four symptomatic patients, because the virus is curable within the first 42 to 78 hours.