GENEVA, Switzerland — The UN health agency said on Friday that it had approved the use of the first diagnostic test for mpox, a key tool in countries battling outbreaks.
More than 800 people have died across Africa from mpox, where the disease has been officially detected in 16 countries, according to the African Union's disease control center.'The approval for emergency use' of the 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 World Health Organization said in a statement.
'Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases persist in Africa, contributing to the continued spread of the virus', it said.The approval of the test 'represents a significant milestone in expanding testing availability in affected countries,' the statement quoted Yukiko Nakatani, an assistant director-general of WHO, as saying.
Approves First Mpox Diagnostic Test
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