Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming monkeypox cases in Africa are fueling the rapid spread of the virus. WHO endorses first diagnostic test for monkeypox Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed the first laboratory-based diagnostic test for monkeypox. Early detection allows for timely treatment and care, and helps control the spread of the virus.
WHO has approved the Alinity m MPXV test kit from Abbott Molecular Inc. The approval is expected to expand diagnostic capacity in countries experiencing monkeypox outbreaks and where the need for rapid and accurate testing has increased dramatically.
Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming monkeypox cases in Africa are fuelling the rapid spread of the virus. More than 30,000 suspected cases are projected to be reported on the continent by the end of 2024, with the largest numbers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Nigeria. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, only 37 per cent of suspected cases have been tested this year.
“The first smallpox diagnostic test to be included in the emergency use list represents a significant milestone in scaling up testing in affected countries,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Commodities. “Expanding access to quality-assured medicines will help expand the range of our assistance to countries in containing the spread of the virus and protecting their populations, especially in areas with underserved health care.”
Vaccine also approved
In September this year, the World Health Organization approved the use of a monkeypox vaccine for the first time. The vaccine approved by WHO was MVA-BN from Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the approval of the vaccine was an important step in efforts to combat the monkeypox virus. “We now urgently need to scale up procurement, donations and rollout to ensure equitable access to vaccines where they are needed most,” he said.
Children are suffering
Late last month, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched an urgent appeal for nearly $59 million to support efforts to prevent the rapid spread of monkeypox in six African countries, including Burundi, where children are suffering the most.
“Of the nearly 600 cases reported [in Burundi], two-thirds are children under 19 years of age, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly, with cases increasing by more than 40 per cent in the past three weeks,” said Dr Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF’s regional health adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa. Africa.
The UNICEF representative stressed that with funding and prompt action, it is possible to end the current outbreak in a very short time, since the geographical area of the disease is limited.