The state Department of Public Health announced this week that the Katherine A. Kelley State Public Health Laboratory in Rocky Hill will now be able to test for Zika virus.
Previously, DPH was required to send all patient samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for testing. The ability to test in-state will save time in determining and receiving results, allowing the state to respond more quickly if necessary, DPH said.
“In-state testing will allow us to obtain results faster so that pregnant women, women planning to become pregnant, their male partners and their physicians can either have peace of mind quicker or can take necessary precautions and steps to protect their health and their pregnancy,” Dr. Raul Pino, DPH commissioner, said in a statement.
The CDC continues to test asymptomatic patients for the presence of Zika virus antibodies as the State Public Health Laboratory develops its own capacity to test for antibodies. Currently, CDC testing is limited to pregnant women who traveled to affected areas while pregnant or within two weeks of becoming pregnant and are best performed on blood collected between two and 12 weeks after travel, DPH said. Positive antibody results indicate exposure but do not confirm active infection.
Transmission of Zika virus is primarily by the bite of an infected mosquito, but there’s more evidence of sexual transmission from men to women, Pino said.
