Zika virusTexas hospitals developed first rapid tests for Zika virus
Two major Texas health centers have developed Scientists at two Texas hospitals — Texas Children’s hospital and Houston Methodist hospital – have developed what they describe as the U.S. first hospital-based, rapid test for the Zika virus. The test can yield results in a matter of hour.
Zika was a slow-moving virus until it reached the western hemisphere // Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Two major Texas health centers have developed Scientists at two Texas hospitals — Texas Children’s hospital and Houston Methodist hospital – have developed what they describe as the U.S. first hospital-based, rapid test for the Zika virus. The test can yield results in a matter of hour.
“With travel-associated cases of the Zika virus becoming more prevalent in the United States, coupled with the looming increase in mosquito exposure during spring and summer months, we must be prepared for a surge of Zika testing demand,” said James Versalovic, pathologist-in-chief at Texas Children’s and leader of test development team.
USA Today reports that the test is designed to reduce testing time, which currently can take days or even weeks. In most cases, the testing would be done by state health agencies or federal authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For now, the new test is available only at the two Texas hospitals, but the researchers said they were looking to make the tests available in more hospitals.
Brazil is the largest number of Zika cases, but the virus has now spread to more than thirty countries and territories, most of them in the Americas. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a global emergency.
Texas Children’s hospital is a not-for-profit health care organization affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. Houston Methodist comprises an academic medical center in the Texas Medical Center and six community hospitals serving the Greater Houston area.
