MYSURU: After the results of diagnostic tests for dengue that were run on a few blood samples failed to provide a definitive answer for any new virus, the district health department has decided to send at least ten of them to the National Institute of Virology , Pune for further examination. The move by the health department comes against the backdrop of increasing complaints of dengue and other vector-borne diseases in the city.The blood samples in question will be collected from hospitals across the city, and sent to Pune next week. District health officer Dr B Basavaraj told TOI, "We have received reports on the blood samples sent to Manipal Centre for Virus Research . For further investigation, samples will be sent to Pune."District vector-borne diseases control officer Dr S Chidambara said that the decision to send the blood samples to Pune had been taken in accordance with directions from the state government. "We are trying to find out if any new virus is causing fever. We'll send the samples by next week. Sample size will be decided based on the requirements," he said.Pointing out that the test reports from the Manipal lab did not shed light on a possible new virus causing a new fever among the residents, Dr Chidambara added, "But, we have decided to send another batch of samples to Manipal Lab, nevertheless."He said that tests were conducted for all major fevers at Manipal Lab, including Zika. "But we want to run another test exclusively on those samples that tested negative for dengue. If we find that a new virus is causing fever, it will help us understand the disorder better," Dr Chidambara said.Lauding the decision of sending the blood samples for further analysis in Pune and Manipal, Dr Murali Kumar , a physician at Shriramapuram, said, "Owing to the fear of dengue, doctors are randomly suggesting blood tests to patients. Once we have a clear idea on a new virus, we will no longer have to do this."

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