On Friday, the United Nations health agency announced that it had approved the first diagnostic test for mpox, which is crucial for countries dealing with outbreaks.
In Africa, over 800 deaths have been reported due to mpox, and the disease has been officially identified in 16 countries, as per the African Union’s disease control centre.
The World Health Organisation stated that the emergency use approval of the test is essential for enhancing diagnostic capabilities in countries affected by mpox outbreaks, where the demand for rapid and accurate testing has significantly increased.
The test, known as the Alinity m MPXV assay and produced by Abbott Molecular Inc., allows for detecting the mpox virus from swabs taken from human lesions.
According to the WHO, laboratory and health workers can efficiently and effectively confirm suspected mpox cases by identifying DNA from pustular or vesicular rashes. The WHO noted that Africa continues to experience limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases, contributing to the virus’s ongoing spread.
As Yukiko Nakatani, an Assistant Director-General of WHO, stated, the test’s approval is a significant achievement in broadening testing availability in affected countries.
Nakatani emphasised that increasing access to quality-assured medical products is central to their efforts in aiding countries in preventing the spread of the virus and protecting their populations, particularly in underserved regions.
Mpox, previously called monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals to humans and can also be transmitted from human to human through close physical contact. It can be fatal, leading to fever, muscular aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.