Cheaper local AIDS test method studied

Cheaper local AIDS test method studied

JAKARTA (JP): The government is currently studying whether a
new, cheaper method of testing AIDS meets international
standards.

Minister of Health Sujudi said yesterday that the government
will move cautiously before endorsing the locally-developed
"entebe dip-stick" method to test for the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV).

"If a person's test should turn up positive through an error,
then it will be a disaster because he will bear the great social
consequences of such a result.

"On the other hand, if through an error a negative result is
obtained, then it will be a tragedy also," Sujudi stated.

"The people who have developed the method say it meets
international standards. But we still have to confirm this,"
Sujudi said after receiving medical aids for victims of tidal
waves in East Java from the management of TEMPO groups, which is
active in pharmaceutical products.

Developed by Hepatika laboratory in Mataram, West Nusa
Tenggara, which has been appointed as the center of vaccine-
related research in Indonesia, the new method has been sent to
the World Health Organization for approval.

It uses polystyrene sticks with antigen tips which are dipped
into the blood for testing.

Sujudi admitted that this method is cheaper than the Western
blot method, which is recognized by WHO and used in many
countries, including Indonesia. "For us, the blot method is quite
expensive. So, we welcome this new method, especially since it is
developed by our own people. But before we apply it, we have to
make sure it is reliable."

One bottle of reactant for Western blot, which is sufficient
for 10 tests, costs some Rp 1.5 million (US$700). (11)