Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield comments on the recent spread of the monkeypox virus.
Monkeypox testing capacity in the United States doubled this week after Labcorp launched its own commercial tests on Wednesday.
The clinical laboratory network will accept samples from all over the United States and will be able to process up to 10,000 tests per week at their main laboratory in North Carolina.
“The ability of commercial laboratories to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our overall strategy to combat this disease,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. “Not only will this increase testing capacity, but it will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by leveraging existing provider-laboratory relationships.”
FILE: Photo illustration showing positive tests for monkeypox. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)
Healthcare providers can order monkeypox tests directly from Labcorp, allowing people to give samples at local clinics.
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Monkeypox, a virus similar to smallpox but with milder symptoms, first hit the United States in mid-May after Massachusetts discovered a case.
Since then, more than 600 cases have been found in dozens of states, according to the CDC.
Photos showing examples of rashes and lesions caused by the monkeypox virus are seen in this handout image obtained from the official website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 1, 2022. (K Health Security Agency /CDC/Handout via REUTERS/Reuters )
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Worldwide, more than 6,000 cases have been reported in 58 countries.
“Testing remains a challenge and it is very likely that there are a significant number of cases that have gone undetected. Europe is the current epicenter of the epidemic, accounting for more than 80% of monkeypox cases worldwide,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on Wednesday.
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