◉ Increasing prevalence of arboviruses and increasing range of incidence
◉ Arboviruses are an increasing threat to communities around the world
◉ The average annual cost to treat hospitalized WNV patients initial and long-term costs can exceed US $700,000 per patient
◉ RT-PCR is complicated, costly, and the sample preparation is difficult and requires highly trained operators
◉ RNA sample degradation is an issue that leads to false negatives