Test diagnoses dengue faster using existing flu diagnosis equipment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a new diagnostic test to detect the presence of dengue virus in people with suspect symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever.

The test, called the CDC DENV-1-4 Real Time RT PCR Assay, has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States and can be performed using equipment and supplies many public health laboratories already use to diagnose influenza. This is the first FDA-approved molecular test for dengue that detects evidence of the virus itself. The new test will help diagnose dengue within the first seven days after symptoms of the illness appear, which is when most people are likely to see a health care professional and the dengue virus is likely to be present in their blood. The test can identify all four dengue virus types.

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