South Korean molecular diagnostics firm Seegene has developed a PCR test kit for the monkeypox virus amid a steep rise in global cases in recent weeks.

According to Chicago-based PR Newswire, the South Korean firm’s test kit – named Novaplex MPXV Assay – was developed swiftly in response to the monkeypox threat using the company’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated test development system, known as SGDDS (Seegene Digitalized Development System).

Also read | Local monkeypox transmission in US confirmed by CDC

As per the company, the Novaplex MPXV Assay can identify positive cases of the monkeypox virus in test subjects within 90 minutes of testing.

“The monkeypox virus outbreak shows that endemic viruses can rapidly spread to the rest of the world and it’s a warning that new pandemics can emerge and threaten our lives at any time,” said Seegene CEO Dr Jong-Yoon Chun in a statement.

Also read | Monkeypox outbreak a pandemic, says independent global health body WHN

“We will continue our efforts to develop products that can accurately diagnose any virus to help prevent new infectious diseases from taking hold and becoming a pandemic,” he added.

The news comes at a time when monkeypox – a disease endemic to central Africa – has been reported in over 50 countries across the world.

Also read | As monkeypox outbreak widens in US, how concerned should you be?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3,413 cases of monkeypox had been confirmed across 50 nations between January 1 and June 22, 2022, with a majority of cases being reported in Europe. The agency also estimates that the strain of the virus circulating in the Northern Hemisphere has a fatality rate of 3-6% and is particularly dangerous for children and those with weakened immune systems.

However, the WHO, thus far, has refrained from labelling the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, although it has acknowledged that the sudden spread of the disease in so many countries is worrisome.