Laboratories offering H5N1 Diagnostic Capability in Health Protection Agency Regions

The Health Protection Agency has rolled out the capability for screening and confirmatory testing of suspected H5N1 specimens to laboratories across England. The laboratories have participated in training and successfully completed a proficiency panel.

If a patient presents as a suspect H5N1 case, you should contact your local Health Protection Unit (HPU).

• Find your local Health Protection Unit

They will be able to advise you on the next steps and also provide details of the regional HPA laboratory able to undertake H5N1 testing.

 

A courier service for specimen transport if necessary has also been arranged. This was originally set up to take specimens to the Centre for Infections (CfI), Colindale and can now also be used to take specimens from any NHS hospital to the nearest HPA laboratory involved in the scheme.

At this phase of the WHO Pandemic alert we do not expect to see many suspect cases that meet the algorithm criteria and so there should not be a large number of tests required.

There are a number of important issues to bear in mind before using this new service:

The start point for any consideration of H5N1 testing is the HPA's 'Algorithm for the management of returning travellers from countries affected by avian influenza A (H5N1), presenting with febrile respiratory illness'

• Revised Avian Influenza Guidance and Algorithms

A full clinical and public health risk assessment should be carried out and if a patient does not meet the criteria in the algorithm they do not need testing for H5N1.

• The vast majority of suspect cases at this stage will not have H5N1.
• Testing should not happen without the involvement (and agreement) of the local HPU and should involve CfI if there is any uncertainty.
• Only the accredited HPA laboratories should be used for diagnosis. Results from other labs will have to be checked by the Agency before any action can be taken.
• The transport of specimens for clinical diagnosis is at the expense of the referring hospital. Our courier service can be used but the cost will be charged back to the sending hospital.
• The system is evolving and not all of the labs may be able to provide the service out of hours immediately. If a test is needed out of hours, which your local HPA laboratory is unable to undertake, they will help identify a laboratory who will take the samples.

 

Region	Laboratory Address
East of England	Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge
East Midlands	Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester
London	King's College Hospital NHS Trust, London
North East	HPA North East, Newcastle Laboratory, Newcastle upon Tyne
North West	HPA North West, Manchester Laboratory, Manchester
South East	Southampton General Hospital, Southampton
South West	HPA South West, Bristol
Yorkshire and the Humber	HPA Laboratory, Leeds
West Midlands	HPA West Midlands, Birmingham