{"id":69623,"date":"2014-11-28T12:26:07","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T12:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=69623"},"modified":"2014-11-28T12:27:04","modified_gmt":"2014-11-28T12:27:04","slug":"ebola-test-results-15-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/11\/ebola-test-results-15-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Ebola test results ‘in 15 minutes’"},"content":{"rendered":"
A 15-minute blood and saliva test for Ebola is to be trialled in Guinea, it has been announced.<\/p>\n
The solar-powered, portable laboratory should deliver results six times faster than tests currently used in West Africa.<\/p>\n
The researchers involved say faster diagnosis would increase the chances of survival and reduce transmission of the virus.<\/p>\n
The trial will take place at an Ebola treatment centre in Conakry, Guinea.<\/p>\n
Ebola is currently diagnosed by hunting for the virus’s genetic material in the blood of a patient.<\/p>\n
But it requires dedicated laboratories that can keep the components of the test at very low temperatures.<\/p>\n
Patients in Conakry will still have the proven test, but the new faster method will be trialled at the same time so the results can be compared.<\/p>\n
Solar-powered<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The project, led by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, uses a ‘mobile suitcase laboratory’.<\/p>\n It is portable, solar-powered and can be used at room temperature.<\/p>\n The project is being funded by the Wellcome Trust medical charity and the UK’s Department for International Development.<\/p>\n Dr Val Snewin, the international activities manager at the Wellcome Trust, said: “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.<\/p>\n “It not only gives patients a better chance of survival, but it prevents transmission of the virus to other people.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The UK’s International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: “The UK is doing everything possible to help the government of Sierra Leone tackle and ultimately defeat Ebola.<\/p>\n “Funding this groundbreaking research will develop new ways of diagnosing suspected cases even more quickly and stop more people suffering from this deadly virus.”<\/p>\n