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Reuters

The World Health Organization approved on Thursday the first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use to expand access to medical testing urgently.
The agency granted approval for emergency use of Abbott Laboratories unit’s PCR test, Alinity m MPXV assay.
The test enables detection of mpox virus DNA from human skin lesion swabs, the agency said, adding that it was designed for use by trained clinical laboratory personnel.
The agency said it was evaluating three new mpox diagnostic tests for its emergency use listing (EUL) and was also in discussions with other manufacturers to expand the availability of mpox diagnostic tools.
Swiss drugmaker Roche and US diagnostics firm Labcorp are among companies working to enhance laboratory testing capacity for mpox.
The EUL procedure is a risk-based assessment of unlicensed vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to expedite their availability during public health emergencies.


In August, WHO asked manufacturers to submit their products for an emergency review and has been in discussion with them about the need for effective diagnostics, particularly in low-income groups.
More than 800 people across Africa have died from mpox, the African Union’s disease control centre said on Thursday, warning the epidemic “was not under control”.
Some 34,297 cases have been recorded across the continent since January, the AU’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said, adding that the figure included 38 cases in Ghana.
This brings to 16 the number of African countries where mpox has been officially detected this year, according to the health agency.
“The epidemic is not under control,” Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC told a press briefing, saying the number of deaths since the start of the year was 866.
He also warned that the testing rate remained “too low”, noting that some 2,500 new cases had been detected in the past week.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use

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People collect water from taps at the Muja camp for internally displaced persons amid an outbreak of Mpox in Nyiragongo territory, near Goma in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on August 19, 2024. The DRC has reported 16,700 cases and 570 deaths from mpox this year. Photo: Reuters

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News

World

More than 800 people across Africa have died from mpox, with the head of Africa CDC saying the epidemic is ‘not under control’


More than 800 people across Africa have died from mpox, with the head of Africa CDC saying the epidemic is ‘not under control’.


World Health Organization (WHO)

Disease

Africa

Medicine

WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}More than 800 people across Africa have died from mpox, with the head of Africa CDC saying the epidemic is ‘not under control’

More than 800 people across Africa have died from mpox, with the head of Africa CDC saying the epidemic is ‘not under control’