On 30 September, the international organisation Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance) announced its intention to deploy the test following an evaluation of its performance conducted by a network of WHO partner laboratories. The organisation now plans to procure up to 500,000 tests per year.
This announcement marks an important step forward in the fight against measles. Today, confirmation of cases relies primarily on laboratory testing. By enabling faster confirmation of suspected cases, a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) could strengthen epidemiological surveillance and help health authorities and healthcare stakeholders better target their interventions, particularly early outbreak response measures and vaccination campaigns.
For MSF Foundation, this announcement also recognises the work carried out over several years by all partners involved in the project. The development of the measles RDT has been supported by MSF Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More broadly, it forms part of the momentum driven by DIATROPIX, whose activities are supported by several international partners, including FIND, Unitaid, and the platform’s founding institutions.
Work will now continue with a new evaluation phase planned for 2027. Led by MSF and Epicentre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this phase will document the use of the test with capillary blood sampling, the preferred method for its use under real-world conditions. These data will complement the results already obtained.
MSF Foundation welcomes this progress and commends the work of all partners who have been mobilised over the past several years to advance this tool in support of the fight against measles.
