The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first at-home test for syphilis. The test, which will be available to purchase without a prescription, takes 15 minutes to produce a result. The authorization of the test kit comes amid soaring syphilis rates in the US. From 2018-2022 the number of infection increased by 80%, from 115,000 cases to over 207,000 each year. If not treated the sexually transmitted disease can damage the brain and heart and can lead to deafness, blindness and paralysis. Because false positive or false negative results are possible, US health officials emphasized that people should not rely on the at-home test for definitive results. Rather they should confirm the results with laboratory test ordered by a healthcare provider.
Full Story: HealthDay
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