Singapore's fast HFMD test kit a world's first

Tan Hui Leng, Today Online 5 Apr 08;

SINGAPORE is developing the world's first diagnostic kit for Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) that will help detect the virus in febrile children within 10 to 20 minutes.

This means that children with the highly contagious HFMD can be picked out and quarantined sooner, thus minimising the chances of their passing on the virus to their peers.

The rapid diagnostic kit is being developed jointly by Singapore-based Rockeby biomed and the National University of Singapore's (NUS') medical school with a $200,000 grant from the Economic Development Board.

Currently, the diagnosis of HFMD — a common childhood disease — is symptomatic, which means that children are being screened for the virus only when they show up with a rash with blisters on their palms and soles, and mouth ulcers.

The HFMD test kit, however, will be able to detect the virus in a child who has fever, since the NUS medical school's paediatric department has identified a marker in the viral protein that can be used in the kit.

"Fever can mean a lot of things in our climate and viral fever can have many causes," said Rockeby biomed's chief executive, Dr Tan Sze Wee. "Hopefully, this test will allow better diagnosis of HFMD."

Currently, there is an outbreak of HFMD in Singapore, with 702 cases reported last week, bringing the total number this year to 4,423 cases. Last year, Singapore registered a record of 20,005 cases.

Of the cases in the first 12 weeks of this year, 21 per cent of virus isolates tested positive for the deadly Enterovirus 71 (EV71) strain of the HFMD virus, which the test kit would target.

EV71 has been associated with serious complications. In 2000 and 2001, EV71 killed more than 70 children in Asia, including seven in Singapore.

The test kit may be available in hospitals and clinics in three to four years, said Dr Tan.

Project to develop HFMD test kit awarded S$200,000 by EDB
Channel NewsAsia 4 Apr 08;

SINGAPORE : A project to develop a diagnostic test kit for hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has been awarded S$200,000 by the Economic Development Board, under the Medical Technology Proof-of-Concept scheme.

Rockeby biomed, a Singapore-based diagnostic group, will be working with the Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore on this project.

HFMD is an illness caused by intestinal viruses, two common strains being the Coxsackie virus and EV71.

EV71 - the more dangerous strain - can cause complications that can result in death. - CNA/ms