Monkeypox: Indian Company Develops Kit To Detect Virus

Chennai: India is yet to report a monkeypox case, but the country is ready for the virus which is spreading in Europe and North America.

An Indian company has developed a real-time RT-PCR-based kit for the detection of monkeypox virus, reported ANI.

Chennai-based medical devices company Trivitron Healthcare said a four-colour fluorescence-based kit can differentiate between smallpox and monkeypox in a one-tube single reaction format. It takes about one hour to check if the virus is present.

Dry swabs and swabs placed in VTM (Viral Transport Media) may be used for the test.

“WHO-recommended specimen type for laboratory confirmation of monkeypox is skin lesion material, including swabs of lesion surface and/or exudate, roofs from more than one lesion, or lesion crusts,” Trivitron Healthcare said in a statement.

More than 200 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 20 countries, World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said the government is prepared for a possible monkeypox outbreak, but there was no need to panic.

ICMR scientist Dr Aparna Mukherjee advised people with a travel history to monkeypox-affected countries and those showing symptoms like fever and body ache to get tested.