THE World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday approved a rapid test for tuberculosis (TB) that will provide an exact and instant diagnosis within minutes.
According to a statement by the organisation, “the test could revolutionise TB care and control by providing an accurate diagnosis for many patients in about 100 minutes, compared to current tests that can take up to three months to have results.”
Director of WHO’s Stop TB Department, Dr. Mario Raviglione, said the new test represents a major milestone for global TB diagnosis and care. And that it also epitomises new hope for the millions of people who are at the highest risk of TB and drug-resistant diseases.
“We have the scientific evidence, we have defined the policy, and now we aim to support implementation for impact in countries,” he added.
The statement further revealed that WHO’s endorsement of the rapid test, which is a fully automated NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test) follows 18 months of rigorous assessment of its field effectiveness in the early diagnosis of TB, as well as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and TB complicated by HIV infection, which are more difficult to diagnose.
The report read in part: “Evidence to date indicates that implementation of this test could result in a three-fold increase in the diagnosis of patients with drug-resistant TB and a doubling in the number of HIV-associated TB cases diagnosed in areas with high rates of TB and HIV.
“Many countries still rely principally on sputum smear microscopy, a diagnostic method that was developed over a century ago. But this new ‘while you wait’ test incorporates modern DNA technology that can be used outside of conventional laboratories. It also benefits from being fully automated and therefore easy and safe to use,” WHO disclosed.
Source:www.ngrguardiannews.com
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