Scientists develop new rapid H5N1 avian flu test

A new testing kit that can detect the avian flu virus in poultry in less than four hours has been developed by scientists in Singapore.

The kit could help health officials control the spread of the deadly virus and are designed to show avian flu infections in both animals and humans.

So far tests in Vietnam and Malaysia have shown 100% accuracy on the H5N1 strain.

Early discovery is vital and current laboratory tests can take up to a week.

“The faster you are able to detect the H5N1, the earlier you can impose some kind of isolation procedure and the faster poultry can be culled to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Ren Ee Chee, a professor at the Genome Institute of Singapore who led the research team.