Good news! Impressive! This is only the beginning!
"Researchers have managed to develop a diagnostic PCR test for the Andes hantavirus in just two days. The disease sickened more than 10 people and killed three aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius last month. A PCR test is important to track the spread of the virus, which can take up to 42 days to become symptomatic. At the moment, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using a blood test to detect antibodies in infected people, but it doesn’t work in those not yet showing symptoms."
"... Some other countries have used PCR tests to detect hantavirus, but in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not yet have a validated one for diagnosis. The CDC is developing such a test, but in the meantime, the agency has been using a blood test that can detect antibodies in infected people who are symptomatic, but it can’t detect low levels of the virus in asymptomatic people. ..."
P.S. I was unable to find an original news release for this story.
Inside the race to develop a hantavirus PCR test "Researchers at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked round the clock to develop a test for the Andes virus at the center of the deadly cruise ship outbreak"
No comments:
Post a Comment