Paternity testing made easy

Published Jul 13, 2009

Share

A "home kit" for DNA testing has been introduced in South Africa.

The kit can be bought from Sparkport pharmacies in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal for R150.

It contains collection swabs and instructions.

When the DNA samples have been collected, the swabs are sent to a Durban subsidiary, which posts it to an Australian company.

The prices for "Peace of Mind Paternity Testing" are listed on the company's website as R1 550 for the easy test with 99,9 percent accuracy, R1 800 for the premium test with 99,99 percent accuracy, and R2 350 for the super test with 99,9999 percent accuracy.

Nevin Pillay, who specialises in forensic DNA testing services, said that about a year-and-a-half ago he was approached by an Australian company that wanted to work with him in promoting the home test kit here.

"We did a lot of tests on the kit, just to ensure that it was safe and accurate," he said.

Pillay said the kit could be used to collect DNA samples for any relationship test, ranging from paternity to finding relatives.

"There are people who are suspicious about their children not really being theirs and want to do a paternity test without their partners knowing, or even the child. This test becomes the best option for such people," he said.

"After collecting the sample from the child, usually saliva, and also taking some of his own, he will then post us the samples, which will be sent to the lab in Australia, and the results will come back after 15 to 20 days. If the results are positive, the person can move on with life without telling anyone about it, and if they are negative, the person can face the problem with proof."

Related Topics: