Roche launches three test kits to detect monkeypox amid rising cases

	The WHO claims over 200 cases of the monkeypox virus have been detected in North America and Europe.
	Spain is reportedly planning on acquiring the monkeypox vaccine, as the number of cases in the country rose to 55.


Roche Holding AG along with its unit has developed three unique LightMix Modular Virus test kits to detect and identify the monkeypox virus, as the disease begins spreading in regions outside Africa where the virus is unlikely to be found.

The company claimed that the first of the three test kits can detect orthopoxviruses, the diseases associated with this biological grouping that includes monkeypox, camelpox, cowpox, horsepox, as well as smallpox.

Meanwhile, the second test kit detects only monkeypox viruses, specifically Central and West African strains. The last test kit is for researchers to detect both monkeypox virus and orthopoxviruses

According to the World Health Organization, over 200 confirmed and suspected cases of the monkeypox virus were detected in North America and Europe.

Speaking of which, Spain is reportedly planning on acquiring the monkeypox vaccine, as the number of cases in the country rose to 55.

Carolina Darias, the Minister of Health of Spain, cited that the government intends to purchase the Imvanex vaccine, produced by Bavarian Nordic, the Danish company, however, the number of doses they intend to purchase was not specified.

Out of 55 cases in Spain, 51 have alone been reported in Madrid with the maximum number of cases being traced back to the adult sauna which was shut down last week, and the rest four were detected in the Canary Islands region.

Sources claimed that few cases were linked back to the 10-day Gay Pride festival which took place in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands with the gathering of over 80, 000 people.

Source Credits –

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/25/roche-develops-test-kits-to-detect-monkeypox-virus.html