Cold & Flu Advanced

Eight further viruses on the same swab: the seasonal coronaviruses OC43, NL63, 229E and HKU1, human rhinovirus, human enterovirus, human bocavirus and human metapneumovirus. These are common causes of colds, wheeze and lingering cough that a core influenza and RSV screen simply does not look for.

No. It covers the four seasonal coronaviruses (OC43, NL63, 229E and HKU1), which cause ordinary winter colds. SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, is a separate target: book the COVID-19 PCR Test if you need it, and both swabs can be taken in one home visit.

Choose Cold & Flu Essential when the illness looks like classic seasonal flu and you mainly want influenza and RSV named. Choose this one when symptoms are atypical, are dragging on, involve wheeze, or when a flu test has already come back negative.

Because the viruses that make children wheeze are mostly the ones outside a basic flu screen: rhinovirus, bocavirus and human metapneumovirus in particular. Naming the trigger helps your paediatrician judge whether an inhaler, a review or simply time and fluids is the right response.

Co-detection is common, especially in young children and in households where infections circulate. It usually means one virus is driving the current illness while material from a recent one is still detectable. Your doctor decides which fits your timeline and symptoms.

As a rule, while symptoms are active rather than after they have faded, since detection depends on the virus still shedding in the nose. Swabbing in the very first hours can be too early. If an early swab is negative and you are getting worse, your doctor may repeat it.

It can point strongly. Antibiotics do nothing against any of the eighteen viruses here, so a clear viral detection supports treating the illness with rest, fluids and time. If your doctor still suspects a bacterial cause, the bacterial panel in Respiratory Viruses & Bacteria is the next step.

No. PCR detects the virus's genetic material, which can remain in the nose for a while after you begin to recover, so the result describes what was present rather than how contagious you are today. Advice on returning to work or school comes from your doctor, reading the result with your symptoms.

AED 749 covers everything: the nasal swab, free home collection anywhere in Dubai, multiplex PCR analysis, physician review and your Smart Report within 48 hours. There is no separate call-out fee and nothing to settle at the door.

No fasting and no preparation. Eat, drink and take your usual medicines, then let the phlebotomist know if you have used a nasal spray or decongestant recently. Home collection anywhere in Dubai is included, seven days a week, and a lab visit is available if you prefer.