Medical Services International Increases Testing for Tuberculosis In South Africa
March 06 2007 - 6:49PM
PR Newswire (US)
EDMONTON, Alberta, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In October,
2006, Medical Services International Inc (OTC:MSITF) announced that
it was beginning to ship VScan TB rapid test kits To South Africa.
At the request of its distributor and as a result of thousands of
infected people being sent back to their communities because of
inadequate testing methods the Company has been asked to accelerate
the VScan testing program. Current testing -- a standard smear
sputum test failed to diagnose the disease resulting in
misdiagnosed, infected people spreading TB unknowingly in their
communities. Specialists have indicated that 60% of the TB cases in
South Africa are smear negative (not detected on a sputum test).
The VScan TB rapid test kit can be used to diagnose smear negative
TB test cases. The VScan TB test kit is the only rapid test kit
with this capability. Smear negative TB is more common in people
living with HIV A report released by the Treatment Action Campaign
said South Africa not only had one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in
the world but also one of the highest incidence rates for TB and
this was increasing drastically as the HIV epidemic worsened. Of
the estimated 9 million people who develop active TB every year,
most still do not receive a laboratory confirmed diagnosis.
Tuberculosis (TB) is highly contagious. Once the testing of the
VScan TB test kit is completed in the next 60 days, the Company
expects to sell in excess of 1.0 million TB test kits per year.
This will generate over $3.0 million in gross revenue. About VScan
The VScan rapid test kit is a single use, easy to use, test for the
screening of HIV1&2, Hepatitis B&C, Tuberculosis (TB),
Dengue Fever, Malaria, West Nile, Syphilis and Prostate Cancer. The
kits cannot be sold in Canada. Medical Services International Inc
trades in the United States on the NQB Pinksheets under the symbol
"MSITF". For further information, please contact Robert Talbot at
(780) 430 6363 or http://www.medicalservicesintl.com/ or
http://www.minerva-biotech.com/ . NOTE: Certain statements in this
press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of the Private Securities Act of 1995. Such statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
cause results to differ materially. Such risks, uncertainties and
other factors include but are not limited to new economic
conditions, risk in product development, market acceptance of new
products and other factors described in Company reports and other
filings with regulatory bodies. DATASOURCE: Medical Services
International Inc CONTACT: Robert Talbot, Medical Services
International Inc, +1-780-430-6363 Web site:
http://www.medicalservicesintl.com/ http://www.minerva-biotech.com/
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