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For disease control, it is crucial to know the infection rate in a specific region. The results may influence critical decisions such as whether to perform other diagnostic testing or to implement infection prevention and control measures for influenza (Overview of Influenza testing methods 2020). Furthermore, manpower can be in short supply during a pandemic and the speed at which someone can be tested and receive the result is of vital importance.
Biosensors that will be developed in SensUs 2021 are envisioned to be used outside the hospital in a point-of-care (POC) setting. Inside the hospital there is not a big advantage, as there are already very specific and accurate tests available for that setting '''missing reference I think(<ref name="Arti28">Diagnosing Flu, CDC, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/testing.htm</ref><ref name="Arti29">Information on Rapid Molecular Assays, RT-PCR, and other Molecular Assays for Diagnosisof Influenza Virus Infection, CDC, 2020)''', https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/molecular-assays.htm</ref>. Important applications are fast testing at the GP and at home. Therefore the test should be easy to use. The biosensors will be designed to enable a fast yes/no answer, based on measuring the concentration of viral particles in the sample. The biosensors will not distinguish between different virus subtypes, as the subtype causing the pandemic is assumed to be known.
==State of the Art==