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Medical Services Begins Increasing Its Presence in South Africa

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 12:01 CDT

EDMONTON, Alberta, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medical Services International Inc. wishes to announce that it has begun to increase its presence in South Africa through agreements with additional distributors. Regulatory authorities in South Africa have indicated that they feel the VScan products will do very well in South Africa because it is one of the few HIV test kits that offers immediate test results using fresh whole blood. This means fast accurate results in less than 10 minutes without medical facilities and medical personnel.

Most of the HIV test kits currently used in the market only work well using serum and/or plasma. They are not as accurate using whole blood (less than 85% accuracy). Testing using plasma or serum requires medical facilities onsite or close by where the blood can be treated quickly. This necessitates sending the blood samples to the lab and centrifuging them. These steps add time, cost and introduce the risk of contamination and potential mix up of samples. It delays the individuals from getting results. Less than 50% of the individuals being tested this way go back for results. This does not happen with the VScan HIV test kit.

The key to containing and treating the spread of HIV is through immediate, fast, accurate results. This can only occur if the results are available immediately on site. The VScan HIV test kit gives results while you wait (less than 10 minutes). Most kits that require the use of serum or plasma for accurate results do not get accurate results using whole blood (less than 85%). The VScan HIV rapid test kit has been developed based on whole blood. It has been proven conclusively around the world that the accuracy of the VScan HIV test kit using whole blood exceeds 99%.

Further, it has been brought to our attention that there is a growing prevalence of HIV type O in Africa. The VScan HIV rapid test kit is the only rapid test kit that detects HIV type O.

About VScan

The VScan rapid test kit is a single use, disposable, accurate, cost effective, easy to use, test for the screening of HIV1&2, Hepatitis B&C, Tuberculosis (TB), Dengue Fever, West Nile, Syphilis, Malaria, and Prostate Cancer. The kits cannot be sold in Canada.

Medical Services International Inc. trades in the United States on the NQB Pinksheets under the symbol "MSITF". For further information, please contact Robert Talbot at (780) 430 6363 or media contact Bill Whitehead at (416) 822 5883 or http://www.medicalservicesintl.com/ or http://www.minerva-biotech.com/ .

NOTE: Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Act of 1995. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause results to differ materially. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include but are not limited to new economic conditions, risk in product development, market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand, level of competition and other factors described in Company reports and other filings with regulatory bodies.

Medical Services International Inc.

CONTACT: Robert Talbot, +1-780-430-6363, or media, Bill Whitehead,+1-416-822-5883, both of Medical Services International Inc.

Web site: http://www.medicalservicesintl.com/http://www.minerva-biotech.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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