Since the epidemic, the unfamiliar term "nasal swab testing" has come to our attention. Currently, nucleic acid testing is most commonly done with nasal swabs, and after the test is completed, the sterile swabs are disposed of as medical waste and cannot be reused.
However, a recent news broke, the netizens called "no bottom line"!
According to reports, an employee of an Indonesian medical company was found to have reused sterile swabs when conducting nasal swab tests on airport passengers. Currently, more than 9,000 passengers are expected to be affected.
Upon investigation, the Indonesian police found that the employee involved first used sterile swabs to conduct nasal swab tests on passengers each day, then cleaned the used sterile swabs once with alcohol, packaged them again, and gave them to the next group of passengers. This behavior is outrageous.
I. What is the danger of reusing nasal swabs?
The nose is a barometer of human health. When there is a disease in the body, the color of nasal snot turns yellow or green. Nasal swab is a test sampling means to assess the presence of respiratory viral or bacterial infection by collecting specimens from the mucosal surface of the respiratory tract.
The nasal swab has a long handle made of plastic or metal and a polyester, rayon or flocked nylon tip. Before operation, the testing personnel will label the sampling tube and blow off with a tissue if there is snot in the subject's nasal cavity.
When testing, the inspector takes out the nasal swab from the package, the subject's head is slightly tilted back and his eyes are lightly closed, then the inspector inserts the nasal swab along the nose, reaches to the bottom of the nasopharynx, places it for a few seconds to fully absorb the secretion, and finally gently pulls it out while rotating the nasal swab, inserts the sampling tube and sends it for testing.
According to the regulations, the nasal swab is not reusable. If the reuse of nasal swabs, the consequences will be unthinkable.
On the one hand is to increase the risk of viral infection, previously, a British research team found that the two cells inside the nose may be the site of initial infection of the new coronavirus; in addition, a clinical study found that the viral load of the nasal swab is significantly higher than that of the pharyngeal swab, if the nasal swab is reused, it is likely to cause cross-infection and expand the scope of infection.
On the other hand, it may lead to inaccurate test results, presenting false positives or false negatives. If the test result is false positive, it may cause psychological panic and unnecessary treatment to the test subject; while false negative, it may prevent the test subject from timely detection of having been infected, missing the best time for treatment while even causing more people to be infected.
Second, the nasal swab and pharyngeal swab effect is the same? How should I choose?
At present, in addition to nasal swabs, pharyngeal swabs are also available for the detection of Newcastle pneumonia nucleic acid. It is important to note that the sampling path of pharyngeal swab and nasal swab is different and simpler. It only requires the subject to open his mouth wide and let the testing personnel extend the pharyngeal swab to the position of the throat to take the sample.
As a whole, the nasal swab is more advantageous than the pharyngeal swab. First, because the pharyngeal swab is prone to dry cough, vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms during the testing process, while the nasal swab is better tolerated by the subject and basically does not cause discomfort.
Secondly, since nasal swabs rarely cause discomfort, they can stay in the pharynx for a longer period of time, which helps to obtain sufficient samples and improve the accuracy of the test. The pharyngeal swab, if not collected properly, may make the results "false negative".
In addition, for the testing personnel, the risk of exposure is relatively low and the risk of infection is lower because the sampler can stand behind the patient's side during sampling and the patient only needs to expose his or her nostrils.
As for choosing which test is more suitable for you, nasal swabs are more suitable for mass screening. Both tests can achieve the same results, and the difference mainly lies in the concentration and depth of collection, which can be chosen according to your actual situation.
However, although nasal swabs are superior to pharyngeal swabs, these six types of people are not suitable for nasal swabs.
1. Patients with high blood pressure
2. Patients with severe allergic rhinitis
3. People with malformations in the nasal cavity
4. Those who have recent symptoms of nasal bleeding
5. Those who have had nasal surgery for not more than 3 months
6. Long-term use of anticoagulant or anti-platelet drugs
What should I pay attention to when doing nucleic acid testing?
Nowadays, the epidemic prevention and control cannot be relaxed, and many people who travel to and from high-risk areas of the epidemic require nucleic acid testing. So, what do we need to pay attention to when doing nucleic acid testing?
Before doing the nucleic acid test: do not eat for 2 hours, do not smoke or drink for 30 minutes, bring a valid ID, wear a mask properly, and inform the testers of previous medical history or related matters.
When taking the nucleic acid test: keep a distance of more than 1 meter in line, tilt your head back slightly, relax, breathe deeply, and cover yourself with a tissue or arm if you have a dry cough or sneeze.
After doing the nucleic acid test: leave the collection site immediately, wipe your hands with a no-rinse disinfectant or alcohol.
In fact, both nasal swabs and pharyngeal swabs are effective means of virus detection. Although slight discomfort may occur during the test, it will soon return to normal and will not affect your health. Therefore, we are responsible for ourselves and for others by actively cooperating with nucleic acid testing when necessary.
