I guess it’s going to be known unofficially in Labour’s corridors of power as il-Ministeru tal-Pufti.

You are right about the window but wrong about the testing. Today all viral tests are based on a molecular biology technique called PCR.

This amplifies the DNA or RNA of the virus and thus is more specific and sensitive. But a window, of a few days, where the test can give you a false negative still exists.

As for Mad Cow disease, there is no sensitive blood test.

The first and primary rule in medicine is “primum non nocere” – first, do no harm. It can also be stated as “better safe than sorry”.

Actually, the real reasons for the drop of available blood donors in Malta are the high rate of promiscuity and the excessive numbers of piercings (even in children) and tattoos. And this arises from a lack of social education or uncouthness that is rampant.

No, he is surrounded by medical doctors who believe that they should have been promoted to higher levels that they did not deserve or obtain a permit to build on ODS land that was refused.

Basically opportunist that are ready even to break their Hippocratic oath (by not clearly stating the truth abouth medical facts and evidence based medicine) just to obtain personal gains.

I bet you they have little pricks too.

There is a window period when some diseases may not show in a blood test, such as hepatitis and HIV.

You may contract hepatitis C today, give blood in two days time and a blood test for hep C would show negative because the body would not have developed antibodies.

It is antibodies for hep C and HIV which are tested for in blood.

HIV has an incubation period of around 2-3 months, which means that antibodies are detected after this period.

And looks at the biggest prick every morning staring at him out of the mirror as he shaves.

That wasn’t bad at all, Baxxter.

I like it.