PATNA, June 4 -- Testing of blood samples to determine the viral load of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has remained temporarily suspended at government-run Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) for last three days following a fire at its microbiology laboratory on June 1, officials said on Wednesday. In response, the Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS), an arm of the state health department, on Wednesday directed that all blood samples meant for HIV viral load testing from PMCH be diverted to the Indian Council of Medical Research's Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Phulwarisharif, both in Patna. "We have made alternate arrangements by diverting from PMCH all samples of PLHIV for HIV viral load test to the RMRIMS and AIIMS till such time that the testing facility resumes at PMCH," said Dr Narendra Kumar Gupta, additional project director of BSACS. PMCH principal Dr Narendra Pratap Singh said other investigations and patient services were continuing without disruption."Barring damage to three deep freezers, records, furniture, testing kits, infrastructure, etc., most of the samples for tests are preserved. With the exception of the HIV viral load test, all other hospital tests are being done and patient services remain largely unaffected," said Dr Singh. According to Dr Rajesh Kumar Sinha, deputy director (care, support and treatment) at BSACS, Bihar has 32 antiretroviral treatment (ART) centres, including five in Patna. Of these, only the microbiology laboratories at PMCH, RMRIMS and AIIMS have facilities for HIV viral load testing. The PMCH microbiology laboratory caters to four ART centres, including one located on its campus, and receives an average of 2,000 samples monthly for HIV viral load testing. Bihar has around 1,01,800 PLHIV undergoing antiretroviral therapy. As per protocol, all PLHIV are required to undergo an HIV viral load test every six months to assess treatment response and regulate medication. An HIV viral load test measures the amount of HIV genetic material (RNA) present in a millilitre of blood. It is the primary tool for monitoring ART effectiveness and determining whether the medication successfully suppresses the virus....