India raising monkeypox testing capacity

With India having nine laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox and experts cautioning that testing for this disease is low owing to social prejudices that go with it, the country is amping up its testing capacity.

- SOHINI DAS & SHINE JACOB

This is in addition to leveraging the tuberculosis-testing network in the country.

Several other point-of-care testing kits are in the process of being made.

The recently formed "Central Task Force on Monkeypox" too has stressed developing diagnostics and vaccines for this contagious disease.

Globally almost 98 per cent of the monkeypox cases have been detected among gay or bisexual men though it is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease. Point-of-care testing, screening and a wide network of testing in the hinterland are likely to help arrest the spread of the disease.

Goa-based molecular diagnostics company Molbio Diagnostics has developed a test kit using its Truenat platform. Molbio founder, director, and Chief Executive Officer Sriram Natarajan said the test would be able to leverage the Truenat machines, which are already deployed.

GETTING READY

5,000 Truenat machines deployed all over India

Molbio has developed monkeypox test on the Truenat platform

Truenat is the only point of care test used by WHO to test for TB 

Genes2Me has developed a quick detection RT-PCR for monkeypox

Genes 2 Me test can act as a screening test at airports, hospitals, etc

Trivitron Healthcare has also developed a monkeypox RT-PCR test kit