Close X
Saturday, November 16, 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

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes
    In good news for patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that consumption of whey protein before meals may help them keep insulin treatment at bay....

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert
    There has been a rise in the number of young Indians diagnosed with knee arthritis and other problems of joints and ligaments, a health expert said Monday...

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert

    Hepatitis C may become rare by 2036: Study

    Hepatitis C may become rare by 2036: Study
    The deadly hepatitis C could become a rare disease by the year 2036 owing to new effective drugs and widespread screening, says a study....

    Hepatitis C may become rare by 2036: Study

    Hypoventilation patients at risk during air travel

    Hypoventilation patients at risk during air travel
    Obese people who suffer from hypoventilation should be cautious while travelling via air....

    Hypoventilation patients at risk during air travel

    Immigrant kids in US at higher obesity risk

    Immigrant kids in US at higher obesity risk
    Immigrant kids in the US are more likely to grow obese than US-born Caucasian children, a study says....

    Immigrant kids in US at higher obesity risk

    Artificial anti-cancer molecules created in a jiffy

    Artificial anti-cancer molecules created in a jiffy
    In what could lead to new anti-cancer drugs, researchers have developed a new method to produce molecules that have a similar structure to peptides...

    Artificial anti-cancer molecules created in a jiffy