Facts:
- Sero Survey: It involves testing the blood samples of a group of individuals to monitor trends in prevalence of the novel coronavirus or SARS-COV-2 infection at the district level.
- Under this, a combination of Elisa antibody kits and RT-PCR will be used for testing.For RT-PCR tests, throat and nasal swabs will be collected.
- Bodies Involved: Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Control in collaboration with key stakeholders and state Health Departments.
- Why Sero Survey: It will involve high and low-risk groups in select districts.This will help the government and its agencies monitor Covid-19 trends but also check for community transmission in any part of the country.
Additional Facts:
- Community Transmission: It means that the source of infection for the spread of an illness is unknown or a link in terms of contacts between patients and other people is missing.
- Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR) Tests:It is a nuclear-derived method for detecting the presence of specific genetic material from any pathogen including a virus.
- ELISA Test: ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immunoassay.It is a commonly used laboratory test to detect antibodies in the blood
