WHO approves first mpox test for faster diagnoses

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted approval for the first diagnostic test for mpox that will deliver immediate results, enhancing testing capabilities in countries experiencing outbreaks.

On Friday, the WHO announced its endorsement of the “real-time PCR test,” known as the Alinity m MPXV assay, which detects the virus through swabs taken from skin lesions. Currently, patients often face wait times of several days for results. This new test will enable health workers to confirm suspected cases more “efficiently,” according to the WHO.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the center of the current outbreak, only 37 percent of suspected cases have been tested this year, as highlighted by the United Nations health agency.

The approval of this test “will be pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing mpox outbreaks, where the need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply,” the organization stated.

Mpox, which spreads through human-to-human contact and contact with infected animals, has been reported in 16 African countries this year. According to the African Union’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, over 800 people across the continent have succumbed to the disease, which causes symptoms such as fever, aches, and skin lesions.

“By detecting DNA from pustular or vesicular rash samples, laboratory and health workers can confirm suspected mpox cases efficiently and effectively,” the WHO remarked.

“Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases persist in Africa, contributing to the continued spread of the virus,” it added.