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Zika diagnostics test given emergency approval by FDA

Zika diagnostics test given emergency approval by FDA
Posted at 9:11 AM, Aug 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-29 09:11:53-04

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration bypassed typical regulation processes to give emergency authorization to a Zika diagnostics test, Fortune reported

The FDA has been working to prevent the spread of Zika, which has impacted 2,517 in the United States and Washington D.C. along with another 9,011 in United States territories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Of those people impacted in the United States, 584 are pregnant women who have shown any lab evidence of the Zika virus. 

The test, created by Roche is designed to check out patients who have Zika symptoms, Fortune reported. 

Zika spreads mostly through mosquito bites and can cause birth defects, according to the CDC. At this point, there is no vaccine or medicine.