The US announced a rapid test for bird flu

A new chip is able to quickly test 11 different strains of influenza viruses, including bird flu - in a short period of just one-fourth the usual - recently announced in the US Monday morning.

Currently, this University of Colorado invention is still being validated, but researchers hope to soon be able to develop it as an emergency testing tool for outbreaks.

Kathy Rowlrn, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, who directs the study, said: "The current" gold "standard for influenza virus analysis ranges from 3 to 4 days. However, for viruses with a high rate of infection and destruction such as bird flu, that time is too long and too dangerous, especially if they can be transformed into viruses that spread from person to person.

Nurse Belinda Lee is holding a bag to collect samples for testing at the Honolulu airport in the United States.

There are currently several fast influenza testing technologies on the market, but they are only able to tell if a patient has the flu, but cannot distinguish between different strains or strains of influenza virus. Be aware that the virus changes genes continuously and that at the same time there may be several strains of virus appearing.

Meanwhile, new chips can be programmed to respond to any flu strain. It is currently being inspected at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and produces more than 90% accurate results for samples infected with H5N1.

Each year, flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, but according to health experts, a pandemic of bird-to-flu flu, if true, can Took away the lives of tens of millions of people.

The biggest risk now is that the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus is rampant in many parts of Asia and Europe. Up to this point, this deadly virus has infected a total of 123 people and has killed half of them. Most dangerous, H5N1 can mutate into a form of influenza virus that spreads from person to person at any time.

Quick diagnosis

Initially, Professor Rowlen's research focused on monitoring the life cycle and the development cycle of strains and strains of influenza viruses. But the concern about a global pandemic of bird flu has been determined: new rapid diagnosis and diagnosis are urgent and urgent.

Currently, samples of suspected H5N1 cases are sent to central laboratories for authentication, but this process takes at least several days. Meanwhile, doctors need to know the results sooner so that patients can take strong antibiotics within 48 hours, to minimize the level of virus attack.

Similarly, health officials need to know the results quickly so that they can be isolated and isolated early on.

"New technology will help monitor and monitor flu better, because labs can identify influenza viruses more quickly."

Even so, right now, this chip is not very easy to use. Rowlen's research team is working hard to improve it more simply and more flexibly."We want to adjust it to be compact and simple enough to travel to remote rural areas in Congo, Cambodia or Indonesia, where there is a shortage of modern laboratories," Rowlen said.

Hold Exam (According to Reuters)