In response to the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa, a Moroccan company is taking a significant step towards addressing the continent’s reliance on imported medical supplies. Moldiag, a Moroccan startup, has developed affordable mpox tests, priced at just $5 each, to meet the growing demand for diagnostics across African nations.
The company began producing the tests after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global health emergency in August. Since then, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported more than 59,000 cases and 1,164 deaths in 20 countries, primarily in central and western Africa.
Abdeladim Moumen, Moldiag’s founder and chief scientific officer, emphasized the importance of local production. “It’s much quicker and more efficient to send tests within Africa than waiting for shipments from China or Europe,” he said. Moldiag has already started fulfilling orders from countries including Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with additional sales to Senegal and Nigeria.
Moldiag’s tests are helping to address severe shortages in countries like Congo, where many regions lack laboratory facilities to process samples. In some areas, such as South Kivu province in eastern Congo, doctors are still diagnosing mpox based on visible symptoms and temperature readings, making it difficult to track the spread of the virus accurately.
“This is a major issue,” said Musole Robert, the medical director at Kavumu Referral Hospital, one of the few in eastern Congo treating mpox patients. “The laboratory resources are insufficient.”
Mpox, primarily spread through skin-to-skin contact or contaminated clothing and bedding, causes painful lesions. Early diagnosis is critical since its symptoms can resemble other diseases, such as chickenpox or measles. The WHO has recommended testing for all suspected cases to help curb the virus’s spread.
The Africa CDC’s acting director for laboratory diagnostics, Yenew Tebeje, highlighted the importance of speeding up the approval of tests like Moldiag’s, as the WHO’s approval process can take months, hindering timely access to diagnostic tools. The Africa CDC has already approved mpox tests requiring lab processing but is calling for rapid tests that do not need to be sent to laboratories.
The push for African-based medical production is part of a broader effort by African leaders to reduce the continent’s dependence on external suppliers for critical health supplies. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the African Union recognized the need to address the disparities in medical access and called for the development of local manufacturing solutions.
Moumen underscored the growing consensus among experts that it makes more sense to produce medical tests within regions affected by outbreaks, allowing manufacturers to better tailor their products to meet local needs and challenges.