Recently, a mosquito-borne infectious disease known as chikungunya fever has emerged in Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong Province, with a clustering upward trend. Similar to dengue fever but with distinct characteristics, the disease has prompted Guangzhou to activate prevention and control responses.

What is Chikungunya Fever?

We know dengue fever, but what is chikungunya fever?

Chikungunya fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the chikungunya virus and transmitted by the bite of vector Aedes mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus). Symptoms are dominated by high fever and severe joint pain. Although similar to dengue and Zika virus infections, it cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone and requires specific laboratory testing.

When chikungunya strikes, why is traditional detection “too slow”?

Laboratory diagnosis of chikungunya virus can use various techniques, including serological antibody detection, nucleic acid amplification, and pathogen culture. Notably, early clinical manifestations of the virus are easily confused with other arboviral diseases. In serological testing, antigenic similarity between chikungunya virus and some alphaviruses may cause cross-reactions, requiring cautious interpretation. In contrast, nucleic acid-based molecular detection has become a key diagnostic tool for distinguishing such infections due to its high specificity.

- Source: Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Chikungunya Fever (2018)

Although traditional nucleic acid testing is accurate, it relies on complex manual and semi-automated workflows: technicians must manually perform lysis, nucleic acid purification, reagent aliquoting, and other steps, any of which can introduce errors. More importantly, open operating environments carry a high risk of viral aerosol release, placing heavy biosafety pressure on staff.

Rocgene iFIND Molecular POCT Platform

Supporting Epidemic Prevention and Control

"Only one manual step: place the sample tube in the designated position, and the machine does the rest."

Technical Features

In the race against viruses, Rocgene iFIND offers far more than speed

1. Safety: Strongest protection for laboratory staff

In traditional testing, aerosols from sample lysis may carry live viruses, requiring technicians to wear heavy protective gear for hours. The iFIND fully enclosed reaction chamber uses negative pressure and a high-efficiency filtration system to fully contain viruses, allowing operation with standard isolation clothing only.

2. Precision: Strongest support for epidemic control

iFIND uses multi-target combined detection to avoid missed cases. Its built-in anti-contamination system automatically corrects environmental interference, ensuring result accuracy ≥99.9%.

3. Efficiency: Warmest response to public health needs

At the early stage of an outbreak, primary medical institutions often lack professional equipment and must send samples to municipal labs, taking at least 24 hours for results. iFIND’s bedside testing capability enables rapid screening in community hospitals and fever clinics: samples are collected during consultation, and results are available in tens of minutes, truly achieving early detection, early isolation, and early treatment.

Rocgene Nucleic Acid Detection Kit for Dengue Virus / Zika Virus / Chikungunya Virus / Hantavirus

Intended Use: Qualitative detection of RNA from dengue virus, Zika virus, chikungunya virus, and hantavirus in serum samples.

Targets: Dengue virus (RNA), Zika virus (RNA), Chikungunya virus (RNA), Hantavirus (RNA)

Sample Type: Serum, whole blood

Sensitivity improved by at least 30% compared with traditional nucleic acid testing; testing time shortened by several hours.

Technology rises to the epidemic: Rocgene’s professional commitment

"Our original intention in developing iFIND was to make molecular testing accessible from the laboratory to the frontline," said the Rocgene R&D director. Optimized for arboviral diseases, the device maintains high performance even with samples containing mosquito tissue or plant debris. About the size of a home microwave, it is plug-and-play, ideal for on-site testing during sudden outbreaks.

When outbreaks strike, we stay calm!

Rocgene iFIND molecular POCT platform has obtained Class III medical device certification from the NMPA, supporting rapid detection of multiple pathogens and providing full-scenario, full-cycle solutions for public health emergencies.