Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Ebola test results now in 15 minutes!

Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Nov, 2014 12:46 PM
    A 15-minute blood and saliva test for Ebola is to be tried in Guinea.
     
    The project, led by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, uses a "mobile suitcase laboratory", BBC reported.
     
    It is portable, solar-powered and can be used at room temperature.
     
    The project is being funded by the Wellcome Trust medical charity and the Britain's Department for International Development.
     
    "A reliable, 15-minute test that can confirm cases of Ebola would be a key tool for effective management of the Ebola outbreak - allowing patients to be identified, isolated and cared for as soon as possible," an official from Wellcome Trust said. 
     
    "It not only gives patients a better chance of survival, but it prevents transmission of the virus to other people."
     
    "This pilot study is particularly promising because researchers have considered how to make the test suitable for use in remote field hospitals, where resources -- such as electricity and cold storage are often in short supply," the official added.
     
    Ebola is currently diagnosed by hunting for the virus's genetic material in the blood of a patient.
     
    But it requires dedicated laboratories that can keep the components of the test at very low temperatures.
     
    Patients in Conakry will still have the proven test, but the new faster method will be trialed at the same time so the results can be compared.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study
    In a welcome addition to anti-arthritis treatments, a new product based on medicinal plants and dietary supplements has been developed that relieves....

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study

    Snack Healthy While Travelling

    Snack Healthy While Travelling
    You can be tempted to get your hands on a packet full of wafers or biscuits on a road trip. But try gorging on dry fruits or some packed veggies with a dip for the journey....

    Snack Healthy While Travelling

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer
    A mouthwash made from herbal concoction, prescribed in ayurveda, helps in reducing the intensity of pain in patients undergoing radiation therapy...

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination
    Prevention is better than cure. This saying does not seem to hold good for Indians as far as health care is concerned with only around 10 percent of adults...

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility
    Not through a disruption of the production of egg or sperm cells but rather by leading to abnormalities in the morphology of the sexual organs - making...

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids
    According to a study, mice allergy is a stronger predictor of asthma-related emergency department visits in young children than exposure to cockroaches....

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids