Africa, the region most affected by the disease, has already reported more than 800 deaths from mpox. Early diagnosis will enable better control of the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Friday that it had approved the first test for rapid diagnosis of mpoxwhich will serve to improve prevention in the hardest hit countries, particularly in Africa.
More than 800 people they have died on the continent since the beginning of the year due to this viral disease that causes fever, muscle pain and skin lesionsofficially detected in 16 countries according to the African Union. “The approval of the emergency use” of these tests “will be key when it comes to increasing diagnostic capacity in countries faced with mpox outbreaks,” the UN health agency highlighted in a statement.
“Early diagnosis of mpox enables a timely treatment and care, and better control of the virus“added the WHO.
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First test to diagnose mpox
The device, called Alinity m MPXV assay, from Abbott Molecular laboratories, consists of a Real-time PCR test that allows the detection of the disease from samples taken from patients. The agency, based in Geneva, highlighted that in Africa “the problem of limitations in diagnosing this disease persists,” which “contributes to the continued expansion of the virus.”
“In 2024 were reported more than 30,000 suspected cases in the regionwith the highest numbers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Nigeria“, stressed the WHO. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epicenter of the epidemic, “only the 37% of suspected cases were tested this year“, highlighted the agency.
Mpox, long known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that is transmitted from animals to humansbut also between people through prolonged physical contact. The resurgence of mpox in Africa and the emergence of a new variant led to the WHO to activate the highest global alert level in mid-August.
International cooperation
The first vaccination campaign against mpox in Africa started in mid-September in Rwanda. In the DRC it was supposed to start this Wednesday, but it was delayed due to problems in shipping the doses. At the end of September, the American president Joe Biden announced that his country would donate one million doses of the mpox vaccine to affected African countries. For its part, Spain in turn announced that will send 500,000 doses of the vaccine to Africa.
Source: Ambito
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