Malaria diagnosis can now be done in 20 seconds only and without blood ...
Dar es Salaam.Testing for malaria, Africa’s biggest killer, has for many years involved pain and blood, with patients having to wait several minutes before knowing whether they are infected or not.
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Gone are the days of testing blood samples for malaria parasites and results can now be obtained within 20 seconds, thanks to a breakthrough in malaria diagnosis made earlier this week. The test costs 50 US cents (Sh800), which is much lower than what most private hospitals charge for a blood slide test.
The new testing method is the result of research financed to the tune of $100,000 (Sh160 million) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to a report obtained by The Citizen, the method does not require blood samples or reagents to establish whether someone is infected with malaria parasites. Patients are tested through their skins, with results being known within 20 seconds.
The kit used does not require a medical professional to do the testing and can be powered by a car battery, according to Dr Dmitri Lapotko from the US-based Rice University, who discovered the device.
“Ours is the first through-the-skin method that’s been shown to rapidly and accurately detect malaria in seconds without the use of blood sampling or reagents,” he said.
The new test kit requires only one body cell to detect the disease, and is a far cry from labour-intensive traditional testing methods, which are usually conducted by medical professionals.
The new test has been described as “very accurate” because it relies on a laser.
Source: The Citizen
Dr Lapotko said the technology had been found to be safe in healthy humans. Malaria parasites have become more resistant to drugs, and efficient skin testing and early diagnosis are largely unavailable in the countries like Tanzania, which have been hit hard by the killer scourge.
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, causing over 600,000 deaths among the more than 300 million people it affects worldwide annually.
According to the 2012 World Health Organisation report, malaria is a global health priority and is prevalent in 99 countries where 3 billion people are at risk of acquiring the disease. Health experts in Tanzania say the new testing method will go a long way in reducing malaria deaths in the country.
The disease is one of the leading causes of death in Tanzania, where there are between 10 and 12 million malaria cases annually.Malaria
Dar es Salaam.Testing for malaria, Africa’s biggest killer, has for many years involved pain and blood, with patients having to wait several minutes before knowing whether they are infected or not.
...
Gone are the days of testing blood samples for malaria parasites and results can now be obtained within 20 seconds, thanks to a breakthrough in malaria diagnosis made earlier this week. The test costs 50 US cents (Sh800), which is much lower than what most private hospitals charge for a blood slide test.
The new testing method is the result of research financed to the tune of $100,000 (Sh160 million) by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to a report obtained by The Citizen, the method does not require blood samples or reagents to establish whether someone is infected with malaria parasites. Patients are tested through their skins, with results being known within 20 seconds.
The kit used does not require a medical professional to do the testing and can be powered by a car battery, according to Dr Dmitri Lapotko from the US-based Rice University, who discovered the device.
“Ours is the first through-the-skin method that’s been shown to rapidly and accurately detect malaria in seconds without the use of blood sampling or reagents,” he said.
The new test kit requires only one body cell to detect the disease, and is a far cry from labour-intensive traditional testing methods, which are usually conducted by medical professionals.
The new test has been described as “very accurate” because it relies on a laser.
Source: The Citizen
Dr Lapotko said the technology had been found to be safe in healthy humans. Malaria parasites have become more resistant to drugs, and efficient skin testing and early diagnosis are largely unavailable in the countries like Tanzania, which have been hit hard by the killer scourge.
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, causing over 600,000 deaths among the more than 300 million people it affects worldwide annually.
According to the 2012 World Health Organisation report, malaria is a global health priority and is prevalent in 99 countries where 3 billion people are at risk of acquiring the disease. Health experts in Tanzania say the new testing method will go a long way in reducing malaria deaths in the country.
The disease is one of the leading causes of death in Tanzania, where there are between 10 and 12 million malaria cases annually.Malaria
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