THE first groundbreaking swine flu test kits developed by Hampshire scientists have been shipped to Mexico – the country worst hit by the virus outbreak.
As revealed by the Daily Echo, Southampton-based PrimerDesign won the race to develop the first DNA test for the disease, which has already claimed 44 lives globally.
There have been more than 2,300 confirmed cases of swine flu in 24 countries – including 39 in Britain – and the new kit is seen as crucial in the battle against it.
It cuts the time it takes to diagnose the disease from two days to just a couple of hours, and is now being dispatched to several countries to help authorities track the outbreak.
Dr Jim Wicks, a founding director of PrimerDesign, which was formed through the University of Southampton in 2005, said the firm has orders to supplies tens of thousands of the kits.
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