Testing for cases of monkeypox in Brazil still does not take place widely and with the advance of the disease more than 4,000 samples are held in the reference laboratories that carry out the analyses.
The survey that shows the bottleneck in testing is in the epidemiological bulletin of the disease. A source with access to the data says there is a collapse in testing, which the Ministry of Health has denied.
Until the last update, 4,101 suspected cases were still awaiting confirmation of diagnosis. The damming information was confirmed by the CNN from federal government sources.
Currently, only eight reference laboratories analyze samples collected across the country. Testing is restricted and the result may take days to arrive.
THE CNN learned from specialists that there is a logistical difficulty to collect samples from the country and that specific tests are lacking in the market to be commercialized. There is also difficulty in obtaining kits with reagents that would make it possible to train more testing centers in Brazil.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said in an interview with CNN that the government intended to expand the laboratories that diagnose monkeypox in Brazil by the end of the first week of August. The objective was to expand to all central laboratories in the country – 27, one in each unit of the federation, but so far this has not happened.
THE CNN learned from sources from the Ministry of Health this Wednesday (17) that representatives of the ministry met with members of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to try to expedite the release of tests that are produced by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation for the exceptional use of tests. (Fiocruz).
The institution made the request through the Institute of Technology in Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos) for the registration of two diagnostic tests for monkeypox to Anvisa. Both PCR-type tests – considered to be of excellent standard for diagnosis.
Other side
In a note sent to the report, the Ministry of Health reported that “there is no breakdown in the diagnosis of monkeypox in the Central and Reference Laboratories of the country”.
According to the folder, “the information regarding the 4,000 cases under investigation refers to cases classified by states and municipalities as suspects, which do not necessarily await laboratory results, given that the confirmation of cases also involves clinical-epidemiological investigation”.
Regarding the laboratory diagnosis network, the Ministry of Health claims that it has invested in strengthening and expanding the capacity of the Central Public Health Laboratories (Lacen).
“Since the beginning of July, with the increase in the number of cases of monkeypox, the ministry began the process of decentralizing the diagnosis of monkeypox to all Lacens in the network, allowing timely testing for the adoption of containment and control measures. In this way, it is possible to guarantee the coverage of the diagnosis throughout the country”, says the note from the ministry.
Source: CNN Brasil
