Kilifi company on verge of Mpox jab breakthrough
By Reuben Mwambingu, August 20, 2024
As the alarming surge in Mpox cases continues to spread across parts of Africa, including Kenya, a Kilifi-based medical devices manufacturer, Revital Healthcare, is on the brink of a significant breakthrough.
The company is nearing the development of the continent’s first rapid diagnostic testing kit (RTDs) for the new clade of Mpox, a virus rapidly spreading in eastern DRC and several neighbouring countries, raising serious concerns.
Revital Healthcare’s Director of Sales, Marketing, and Development, Roneek Vora, announced that the Mpox RTDs will be produced at the newly launched state-of-the-art rapid test kit production facility.
This facility was established through a co-funding partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Revital Healthcare.
In addition to the Mpox test kit, Vora revealed that the facility, with a capacity to produce 20 million test kits monthly, will also manufacture kits for HIV-1/2, Malaria P.f/Pan, HCG, Hepatitis B/C, Dengue, Syphilis, and more.
“Our team constantly brainstorms on emerging pandemics and endemics, aiming to innovate products that not only support Kenya but also the world. Soon, Revital will launch its own rapid antigen test kit for Mpox, which the WHO recently declared a global public health emergency,” Vora stated during a media tour of the facility. The tour was facilitated by the Editors Guild in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Editors Guild Programme Officer Ken Bosire (pictured) praised the partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a catalyst for niche reporting, helping to tell Africa’s evolving story.
“We are exploring how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is changing the landscape in Africa, especially in the medical field. This visit allowed us to see firsthand where they have invested and how they are promoting African manufacturing. As journalists, we often report on importation, but now we are witnessing the building of home-based capacities,” Bosire said.
Revital is collaborating with external partners, including Africa CDC, to develop their own formulation, with the goal of ensuring the highest quality and standards in production. “We are waiting for an Mpox-positive sample to begin bilateral tests and validate our production quality,” Vora added.
Mpox outbreaks have been reported in at least 12 African countries, including previously unaffected nations such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. In 2024 alone, these countries have confirmed 2,863 cases and 517 deaths, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).