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The new kits which are real-time polymerase chain reaction ( RT-qPCR ) for the detection of COVID-19, was designed by Joseph Shaibu, a molecular virologist at NIMR.
Babatunde Salako, director general of the institute, unveiled the new kits during the ongoing NIMR retreat in Lagos.
He said the new products were specifically designed for PCR laboratories across the country.
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“We decided to come up with this rt-qPCR testing kits that will work with the conventional PCR laboratories we have across the country,” he said.
“Unlike the SIMA test kits earlier produced by the institute which work with only isothermal machine. The Isothermal machine which can be moved around as a point of care is not readily available now for purchase so we decided to come up with this.”
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A consultant paediatrician at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Agatha David, says kissing a newborn on the lips or any part of the face can lead to meningitis, a viral infection caused by herpes.
She warned parents against allowing outsiders to carry their newborns, especially within the first one month of life, noting that their immune system is still very fragile to fight off pathogens or environmental germs.
Dr. David, who is the head, Clinical Trial Research Group and Chief Research Fellow at NIMR, disclosed this during an interview with
PUNCH HealthWise, adding that some adults have blisters on the side of their lips caused by Herpes Simplex virus, and can also have it transmitted to a newborn through their breath.