First Zika Diagnostic Test Now Available in Germany, But Vaccine May Take 3 to 5 Years
A diagnostic test for the Zika virus has already been developed in Germany and it can accurately detect if the pathogen is present in humans, but Brazil says developing a vaccine for the virus will take three to five years.
Before, people had to wait for symptoms to appear to tell if a person has contracted the Zika virus. But now, German biotech firm Genekam has already developed a medical test that can accurately tell if a person has the virus, according to RT.
Aside from detecting the Zika virus in a blood sample, the medical test developed by German researchers can also determine the quantity of the pathogen in the blood. This helps doctors determine if a person is a carrier of the virus, since one out of five infected people exhibit the symptoms of the disease, the report details.
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Another advantage of the medical test is the real-time rendering of diagnostic results.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW), virologist and Zika medical test co-developer Sudhir Bhartia explained that the test is accurate because it will not detect Dengue fever and other similar pathogens.
"Our test examines DNA and works with chemicals that react to the Zika virus only," Bhartia told DW.
However, Genekam's Zika diagnostic test can only be conducted in specialized medical establishments equipped with the proper instruments and well-trained personnel. Bhartia said only qualified people should use the test to avoid mistakes.
As for the price, the test is quite affordable at around €5 ($5.45).
Because Brazil is currently suffering from an epidemic in which around 1.5 million people could be infected with the Zika virus, the first sets of the new medical test have already been sent to the South American nation.
Meanwhile, Brazilian and U.S.-based researchers are working together in a race to come up with a vaccine for Zika. Jacques Wagner, the Brazilian president's chief of staff, said it may take three to five years for them to develop the vaccine, Stuff.co.nz reports.
The Zika virus, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, was first reported in Brazil in May 2015. The World Health Organization says three to four million individuals have already contracted the pathogen worldwide. Although healthy adults generally exhibit flu-like symptoms when infected with Zika, pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, are at risk because their babies could exhibit microcephaly, a condition that leads to an underdeveloped head and brain.
The link between Zika virus and microcephaly has not yet been fully established, but pregnant women are cautioned against traveling to places where the disease is prevalent.
