And while we await the results of tests that are sent to the Caribbean Epidemiological Center in Trinidad, one private hospital has invested in the rapid test which only needs half an hour to give a patient a strong – if not conclusive - indication of whether they have the H1N1 virus. On Monday the Belize Medical Associates took the initiative to acquire the rapid test kit. According to the Chairman, Dr. Marcelo Coyi while samples will still have to be sent abroad for confirmation, the rapid test kit is 90% accurate and cuts down on the turn-around time because it is crucial for patients to start treatment in the first forty eight hours. Dr. Marcelo Coyi says in just half an hour time they will know if a patient has probably been infected with the H1N1 virus and start treatment immediately while they wait for the confirmation from abroad.

Dr. Marcelo Coyi, Chairman – Medical Associates
“The rapid test gives an immediate response within thirty minutes as to whether the patient has an influenza A virus. An H1N1 is an influenza A virus so it helps the clinician, the doctor who is attending to patients, to rationally do management. For example if it comes back as influenza B then obviously you need to worry. If it comes back as Influenza A then it rationally allows you to begin therapy with the anti-virals based upon that and at the same time we take a virus specimen to send to CAREC which is the gold standard. So the influenza rapid test is really a screening test where you rapidly, you can do it on a large section of the population very rapidly, get answers, and it allows the clinician to then make rapid decisions because if the anti-virals are to work, they need to begin in the first 48 hours. So we cannot wait for the CAREC results before we can begin therapy because it will be too late.

Everybody has to be responsible for personal good hygiene to prevent transmission and that has to be done until the epidemic, they will tell you when to stop all these procedures. For the moment everything has to continue.

For the moment, if you have that then we need to continue begin therapy and at the same time send specimens for confirmation by CAREC.”

The test costs patients sixty five dollars, but not everyone is given a rapid test, it depends on what symptoms the patients are exhibiting. Meanwhile, Dr. Marcelo Coyi would not discuss the specifics on a tourist that had travelled through México to Belize and had to be hospitalized at Belize Medical associates after he fell ill with flu like symptoms. We do know that he was given a rapid test and the result was negative for the H1N1 virus. We understand that the patient is doing much better and is scheduled to be discharged.

Coyi told us he is surprised that no confirmed cases have yet been detected in Belize, but he strongly believes it is only a matter of time until a confirmed case appears. In the meantime Dr. Coyi says they continue to work closely with the Ministry of Health and if the needs arise they have offered to perform the rapid test on some of the cases that appear in the public health system.