Washington, Feb 23 (EFE).– Two Texas hospitals announced Tuesday that they have created the first rapid detection test for the Zika virus, for which there is neither vaccine nor cure.

The new test can detect Zika in the blood and urine, in the amniotic fluid that protects the embryo and in spinal fluid, a joint communique from the Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Methodist Hospital said Tuesday.

The test also allows Zika to be clearly distinguished from other viruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as dengue and Chikungunya, something that has been problematic up to now.

The test is designed to detect the RNA genetic material of the virus, so it can be determined immediately if the subject has Zika.

The two hospitals, which began collaborating on this project just a few weeks ago, say that until this test was developed, doctors faced long waits to obtain test results from local and state laboratories and from those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The test is now available only for patients registered at Texas Children’s and Houston Methodist, but its creators hope to make it accessible to many other hospitals.

In the continental United States there is still not a single case of contagion from a mosquito bite, but 82 cases have been diagnosed of travelers who returned home after being infected in other countries, including Costa Rica.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned recently that there could be “mini outbreaks” in states where the insect lives: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The current outbreak principally affects Latin America, with local transmission of the virus reported in 26 of its 30 countries and territories, and which in Brazil has been linked to birth defects. EFE