Abstract
<jats:p>Causing millions of deaths each year, viral infections continue to be a major worldwide health issue. Controlling outbreaks depends on early and precise diagnosis, particularly in resource-limited environments where conventional laboratory techniques, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are usually unusable because of their cost, complexity, and time constraints. From hospitals to rural areas, point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics have developed as a revolutionary answer providing fast, affordable, distributed testing across varied settings. Focusing on sensor technologies including optical, electrochemical, and microfluidic-based biosensors, this chapter investigates the most recent developments in PoC diagnostics for viral detection. Clinical uses are covered in depth, therefore stressing their importance in identifying respiratory, sexually transmitted, blood-borne, vector-borne, and foodborne viruses. Along with future trends—such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and improved materials—key issues like regulatory obstacles and technical constraints are discussed. These developments hold the potential to improve the sensitivity, specificity, and accessibility of PoC diagnoses. PoC technologies are set to transform world healthcare by closing the gap between centralized laboratory testing and real-time, on-site diagnostics, therefore enabling early identification, individualized treatment, and efficient control of viral infections.</jats:p>