China approves rapid SARS test

China’s food and drug authority has given the green light for a new and simple test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to go on sale, the official Xinhua news agency reports.

China’s food and drug authority has given the green light for a new and simple test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to go on sale, the official Xinhua news agency reports.A state Food and Drug Administration official has told the agency that the test can detect SARS in patients between one to 10 days after they become ill.Until now it has taken health authorities weeks to confirm if a person has contracted SARS. The test is relatively cheap and simple to use.Tests that detect SARS by establishing the presence of antibodies or the virus’ nucleic acid are already on sale in China.The pneumonia-like illness claimed around 800 lives from 8,000 cases in 32 to countries last year. China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan, was the worst hit with 349 deaths. (Source: American Free Press, June 2004)