A pathological test kit to detect Japanese encephalitis sent to Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH) by the Pune-based National Institute of Virology might become ineffective because of lack of care.

Sources in the hospital said the kit was addressed to Ajoy Kishore Ravi, the head of the paediatric department. The kit can also be used to detect dengue and chikungunya. Ravi wrote to ANMCH superintendent Sitaram Prasad and the head of the microbiology department to receive the kit and ensure its proper care.

Though the kit reached ANMCH on June 13, it was not received by the office of the hospital superintendent and sent to the microbiology department. The sources said the thermocol box containing the kit had been kept in a refrigerator of the paediatric department. “But the step is inadequate to keep the kit functional because the refrigerator doesn’t function round-the-clock, as the town doesn’t get uninterrupted power supply. We fear that the kit’s potency might decrease,” a source in the hospital said.

The ANMCH superintendent could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Health department additional secretary-cum-spokesman Rajendra Ojha told The Telegraph from Patna that he would talk to Prasad and ensure that proper care of the kit was taken. The IgM capture (popularly known as Elisa test) to detect acute encephalitis syndrome cases is done at the microbiology department.

Ojha said the ANMCH superintendent has been asked to send the pathological test reports of two children, who tested positive of Japanese encephalitis at the microbiology department, was tested negative in another test at the Pune-based institute. Bhola Kumar, a 10-year-old boy from Imamganj in Gaya, and Ranti Kumari of Obra in Aurangabad were detected Japanese encephalitis positive following a test at the microbiology department.