The African Union’s health agency, the Africa CDC, announced Thursday that it had approved a first PCR test for Mpox developed on the continent, welcoming “a major step forward” in the response to the ongoing epidemic .
The Africa CDC “recommended (…) the first locally manufactured real-time PCR test for Mpox” by the Moroccan company Moldiag, welcoming a “major step” towards the “self-sufficiency of African public health systems”.
The health agency said on X that the test quickly detects pathogenic DNA in blood, saliva or tissue. Its approval highlights its “reliability and effectiveness,” according to a press release.
“Strengthening local production is essential to give the continent the means to prepare for and respond to epidemics,” said Moldiag Director General Nawal Chraibi, quoted in the press release.
The list of real-time PCR tests approved by the health agency so far included tests developed in the United States, Germany, China, Spain and South Korea.
Mpox, previously called monkeypox, is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans but is also transmitted between humans, causing fever, muscle pain and skin lesions.
Since January, more than 50,000 cases and 1,000 deaths linked to the virus have been reported.
Central Africa concentrates the vast majority of cases and almost all of the recorded deaths.
In August, the WHO triggered its highest level of alert at the international level in the face of the resurgence of Mpox cases in Africa.
TE/APA with AFP
Health
