KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Health said Friday that the Virology Laboratory at the University of the West Indies has met all the requirements necessary to test for the Zika virus, and will begin to do so next week.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Winston De La Haye disclosed to OBSERVER ONLINE a short while ago that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States informed the Ministry of Health this afternoon that all requirements have been met.

“We are very happy to report that we got an email that our Virology Lab at the University Hospital met all the requirements in terms of the testing,” Dr De La Haye said. “We just got back news from the CDC, literally a moment ago, and so we expect to start doing the ZIKV (Zika virus) testing there as of the week of Monday.”

He said he could not say the testing would definitely start on Monday, but certainly a day next week. 

The Government said in January that it would spend $10 million to upgrade and improve the Virology Laboratory to ensure that testing for the Zika virus could be conducted locally.

The lab is expected to facilitate the turnaround of results within a two-day period, which will greatly reduce the delay now being experienced with samples sent to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing.

Dr De La Haye explained that thus far, CARPHA is the only certified lab that Jamaica has access to. 

ZIKV is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is found in and around areas where people live, work and play.

Anika Richards