Iranian Firm Trying to Make Diagnostic Kits for Dengue Fever, Mpox

“So far, we have made over 80 kits in different laboratory and research extraction and diagnosis fields. Our company, as one of the largest manufacturers of molecular kits in Iran, has played a vital role in providing coronavirus extraction and diagnosis kits and supplied over 20 million kits to medical and diagnostic centers during the epidemic,” said Amir Ali Karimi, the managing director of Jivan Biotech Roje company.

“Also, at present the active research and development unit of the company is working on diagnostic kits for dengue fever and monkeypox to meet the needs of the country in these areas,” he added.

Karimi described the DNA extraction kit from amniotic fluid and fetal DNA extraction from mother's blood by the column-based method as the innovative products of his company, and said, “These kits, which were produced for the first time in Iran with such a high quality, are used to check the health status of the fetus.”

Earlier reports in July also said that the Iranian scientists were making strenuous efforts to study different methods to find an effective vaccine for the dengue fever, a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people.

Parviz Shayan, the head of the center for studying ticks and diseases transmitted by them, emphasized the production of dengue fever vaccine at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of University of Tehran, saying, “The Biotechnology Research Center of the University of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army and the Research Institute of Molecular Biological System Transfer (MBST) are trying to apply biotechnology methods to improve the capability of molecular diagnosis in the country.”

Although the most common way to prevent viral diseases is the injection of a vaccine, according to experts, the injection of the dengue vaccine is only for those who have been once infected with this disease.

Mohammedreza Nazer, an Iranian specialist in infectious and tropical diseases, explained that although one of the ways to prevent dengue fever is vaccination, it is prescribed for people who have been infected with the disease once, but people who have not been infected and receive the injection will get the fatal type of the disease.

Dengue is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes bite during the day and night.

There is no widely available dengue vaccine to prevent dengue infection. The best way to prevent dengue is to protect yourself from mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants, and take steps to control mosquitoes in and around your home.

Also, Mpox (known as monkeypox) is a disease caused by infection with a virus, known as Monkeypox virus. This virus is part of the same family as the virus that causes smallpox.

People with Mpox often get a rash, along with other symptoms. The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing. Mpox is not related to chickenpox.

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