The mpox outbreak has spurred urgent calls for vaccines for the African continent. But one expert interviewed by Devex also underscored the need for more testing options that are fast, accurate, and accessible at the community level.
Most of the tests right now in Africa are centralized in a laboratory, Dr. Marta Fernández Suárez, chief technology officer for the diagnostics alliance FIND, told Devex. This means it can take days for results to come out and that the test is not easily accessible to communities.
There are some point of care tests available, and FIND is conducting an evaluation of their performance, but she said currently these tests are not widely accessible or even introduced in most countries.
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About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
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