Monkeypox, also known as Mpox, is an infectious disease caused by the virus of the same name. Endemic in the northern and central regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the number of cases has however exploded in 2023 and affected 85% of the regions of the DRC. Some 12,700 people, of whom 581 have died, have been infected in the country, Contipharma reports.
Faced with the emergence of a new strain of the MPox virus retaining the severity characteristics of the initial strain and now transmissible by classical and heterosexual means, the Congolese government and the World Health Organization recently sounded the alarm about the worrying spread of the virus in the DRC and beyond its borders, with Western countries not being spared.
Rapidly detecting the presence of Mpox in an infected person therefore makes it possible to stop any further spread. But it is still necessary to be able to easily carry out effective and rapid screening in the field with a minimum of laboratory intervention, says Bernard Delhez, CEO of Contipharma.
The developed screening kit combines the sensitivity and specificity qualities of a classic PCR test and the speed of an antigen test, providing a valid result within 20 minutes maximum. In its dry version, it also does not require laboratory testing for authentication and validation, Contipharma explains.
The “exceptional clinical performances” that he demonstrated during the various evaluations are currently being confirmed in the DRC with the assistance of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa.
This technological advance could be used for other viral pandemic applications, Contipharma concludes.
