7 News Belize

BAHA Goes Big Time with PCR Lab
posted (July 22, 2015)

BAHA, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, is trying to contain the MEDFLY in southern Belize, but they've also gotten a major upgrade at their headquarters. IT's a very high tech testing lab called a PCR Lab. We found out more from the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Jose Alpuche - CEO, Ministry of Agriculture

"The opening of this PCR lab puts BAHA at a much higher level in terms of the level of testing that can be done locally in Belize. In the past we've had to send out most of our testing to be done outside, either in Mexico or the US. Now a lot of the confirmatory tests can be done in Belize. It's still not a complete lab, we still have to send certain tests outside but the vast majority for primary confirmation can now be done in Belize by BAHA. It's a testing where they basically take a part the plant and test it using polymer rays technology, a chain reaction technology to detect presence of what ever in this case a virus or bacteria they're looking for."

This is part of a 12 million dollar project to improve BAHA.

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