TAMPA, Fla. — A local Tampa Bay area doctor is asking people who are currently infected with monkeypox to volunteer to help him come up with a new way to test for the virus.
“The more tests that we have available and more opportunities to test people, we can test more people and get more results,” said Dr. Bob Wallace from Love the Golden Rule clinic in St. Petersburg.
Right now, there are only two ways to test for monkeypox, which are a blood test or a swab test inside of a lesion.
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“A person can probably have a lesion that’s inside the mouth or inside the anus and if the doctor doesn’t see it, they can’t test for it, but that person is positive for monkeypox and can spread the virus,” said Richard Reiss with Biocollections Worldwide Inc.
However, with the rise in monkeypox cases in Florida, local doctors are trying to develop more ways of testing in an effort to curb the spread.
“So, if we had a saliva test, it’s going to help professionals who may be reluctant to get close to a person with monkeypox,” said Dr. Wallace. “It’s clear that this test will work. We just need more people so that we can get more testing done.”
They just started testing three weeks ago and Biocollections Worldwide Inc. said, so far, the results are promising. They have tested three people so far, but need to test about 400 in order to gain FDA approval.
That's why they are asking for local volunteers who have an active case of monkeypox to provide a saliva sample.
“If the sample for the swab – for the lesion – is positive for monkeypox, then we need to prove that the sample for the saliva or the swab, or the blood is also positive for monkeypox as well,” said Reiss.
Volunteers will be compensated for participating. If you have monkeypox and are interested in partaking in this test, call this number: 727-424-4101
