KATHMANDU,

A modern  'Gene Expert' machine has been installed in Taplejung to detect tuberculosis (TB) germs within two hours. Till now, microscopy has been used to test for tuberculosis at primary health centers and health posts. In the past, however, after carrying out microscopic examinations, the Gene Expert machine would be used to confirm that the patients had tuberculosis.

Bijaya Rai, a nursing inspector at the district hospital in Taplejung, stated that the problem of having to go outside Taplejung for a final test to confirm TB infections has been solved with the installation of the Gene Expert machine within the district. According to Padmanabh Ghimire, a senior medical technician at the National Tuberculosis Prevention Center, Gene Expert is the latest technology in diagnosing tuberculosis.

With the help of a Gene Expert, the infection caused by 'Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the medicine used for that infection, Rifampicin's effectiveness can be found. This fully automated device is manufactured by an American company called Safed. There are four models of this machine.

All the chemicals required for testing are kept inside the cartridges of the Gene Expert machine. It is also called molecular test or nucleic acid amplification test because it tests the DNA of germs. According to Dr. Dipendra Bokhim, MDGP(Medical Doctorate in General Practice) of Taplejung District Hospital, the National Tuberculosis Prevention Center has instructed the health workers of Taplejung Hospital about the operational method of the 'Gene Expert' machine, collection of records and measurement of results.

He said that the introduction of this machine in the field of TB testing is a  positive indication. Rajkumar  Pokhrel, acting chief of the District Public Health Office of  Taplejung, claimed that this is probably the first time that the machine has been introduced in any eastern Himalayan district.