Washington, June 23 (BNA): The Biden administration has begun sending monkeypox tests to commercial laboratories, in an effort to speed up the diagnosis of suspected infections of the virus that has already infected at least 142 people in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending the tests to labs, including Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic labs, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare, which it said would greatly increase the nation’s health system’s ability to test for monkeypox, the AP reports.
Previously, testing was largely limited to public health laboratories, which have a combined capacity of about 8,000 tests per week.
“All Americans should be concerned about monkeypox cases,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Fortunately, we now have the tools to fight and treat cases in America. By dramatically increasing the number of testing sites across the country, we are making it possible for anyone who needs a test to do so.”
The disease initially causes flu-like symptoms before developing into a rash on the face and body and is most commonly found in parts of Central and West Africa. But this year, 1,880 infections have been reported in more than 30 countries where monkeypox is not usually found.
Most of these cases are found in Europe. As of June 21, the CDC has confirmed 142 cases of monkeypox in the United States
Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal in up to 1 in 10 people, according to the World Health Organization.