The Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday announced it now has the capability to test for the Ebola Zaire Virus within the state. ADVERTISING The Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday announced it now has the capability to test for
The Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday announced it now has the capability to test for the Ebola Zaire Virus within the state.
The Hawaii State Department of Health State Laboratories Division has received and validated the U.S. Department of Defense-developed, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-deployed realtime reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test for the 2014 outbreak of the virus.
“With the nation on heightened alert for possible Ebola cases, having laboratory capabilities in Hawaii allows us to have earlier results and timely support for our local disease investigations. Following national guidance, our test results for Ebola will still require final confirmation by the CDC,” said Health Director Dr. Linda Rosen. “Our state is so fortunate to have a public health laboratory with a talented and flexible workforce that can respond quickly to community needs.”
The testing is very similar to the methodology state division uses for other RNA viruses such as influenza, West Nile virus, and dengue fever.
“Laboratory staff have been fully trained on how to safely work with high risk specimens, including those that may contain Ebola or biological terrorism agents,” said State Laboratories Director Dr. Christian Whelen.
Hawaii has yet to test a person for Ebola, but there has been one scare. On Oct. 1, a person was admitted to an Oahu hospital who was reported to the department as a possible Ebola case. The department determined that day that the person did not meet the qualifications for testing.
Reporting a potential Ebola case to the Department of Health is required before testing is considered. The department then determines if testing is warranted. Physicians are reminded to follow the guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention available at cdc.gov/Ebola
DOH continues to work with the health care community, state, county and federal officials to prepare for a possible Ebola case. The State Laboratories Divvison administers a statewide laboratories program, which conducts scientific analysis in support of environmental health and communicable disease monitoring and control activities. To date, 31 public health laboratories nationwide have testing capability for Ebola.
