WHO approves Mpox diagnostic test, hoping to stop spread of virus

The diagnostic tool is a real-time polymerase chain reaction test made by Abbott Molecular.

The first diagnostic test for mpox has been approved by the World Health Organization in a bid to expand its availability and stop the spread of lethal outbreaks of the disease in Africa.

Testing for the illness that has already killed 866 people in Africa this year is insufficient and improving surveillance to limit contagion is crucial, the global health agency said.

The diagnostic tool is a real-time polymerase chain reaction test made by Abbott Molecular. It can detect both sub-variants of the virus: one which has been around for decades, and another newer, more infectious one.

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“The need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply,” the WHO said in a statement Friday. “Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases persist in Africa.”

More than 34,000 suspected cases of mpox have been reported across the continent this year. The vast majority are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though only 37% have been tested there this year. The WHO declared the recent explosion of the virus an international health emergency in August.

The WHO authorisation helps countries which have not cleared the medical products through their own approval processes to procure tests through UN agencies and other partners.

Even though Africa is the only region where the disease is endemic, it didn’t receive vaccines for the virus in 2022 as a less virulent version of the infectious illness spread around the world. With each dose costing as much as $141, the vaccines are currently very expensive.

The WHO has received three other submissions for emergency use listing evaluation and “discussions are ongoing” with other manufacturers of mpox diagnostics to ensure a wider range of options, it said.

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