China has given the "green light" to eight kinds of diagnostic reagents that test for the A/H1N1 flu virus. By using these methods, the pandemic microbe can be tested within about three hours.

To combat the spread of the disease, China has stepped up efforts to research both vaccine and diagnostic reagents. On May the 19th, the disease prevention and control team requested that research laboratories submit reagents that could quickly test for the disease.

33 enterprises submitted samples, and seven enterprises with 8 kinds of reagents passed. They all use a nucleic acid which is sensitive to the virus and widely used internationally. So far, two enterprises have begun the registering and producing procedure, and others will enter the green channel of examination and approval procedure.

(CCTV July 2, 2009)