An A/H1N1 test kit invented by Chinese scientists has been approved for mass-production, said a project spokesman on Friday.

The kit will be mass-produced by Shanghai Hai-tai Jinxin Biological Molecular Diagnostic Kit Corporation and distributed to military hospitals and disease control and prevention centers (CDCs) across China, said Wang Shenqi, head of the project and a researcher of China Military Medical Science Institute.

Early treatment is the key to cure A/H1N1 flu and the test kit can help diagnose patients who are in latent period even though they show no symptoms at all, Wang said. "By testing the patient's saliva, the kit can diagnose A/H1N1 flu within two hours."

It can help contain the spread of the flu among high risk groups and save medical costs by early diagnosis, Wang said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2009)