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Kit developed to quickly diagnose lethal bird flu virus in humans

Saturday 10th May, 12:41 AM JST

TOKYO —

The International Medical Center of Japan said Friday that it has developed a diagnostic kit that can determine in 15 minutes if a person has been infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus—much quicker than the two days required by conventional methods.

The Japanese government-affiliated center tested the kit with an H5N1 strain sampled in Vietnam between 2004 and 2007 as well as typical flu viruses and found that the kit correctly distinguished the two categories, it said. The kit uses a sample taken from the nasal cavity or other parts of the body with a cotton swab. The sample is then mixed with a reagent to determine infection.

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