Mpox : Detection Kit
India has developed an indigenous Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing kit for detecting Mpox (previously known as monkeypox).
- These kits are developed by Siemens Healthcare, Transasia Diagnostics, and JITM C Genes which are approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
- The new RT-PCR kits provide results in 40 minutes, compared to traditional methods, which take one to two hours.
- These RT-PCR kits ensure detection across both clade I and clade II variants.
- Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus.
- It has two distinct variants namely clade I and clade II.
- It was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Mpox spreads through close contact like skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin interactions, as well as face-to-face contact (talking).
- WHO declared Mpox, a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) twice, the first time in May 2022 and the second time in August 2024.
- The first Mpox cases were reported in India in 2022.
