| 18 Mai 2016
After HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death around the world, especially in African countries. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million individuals have died from TB in the last two years, mostly because of combination of late testing and slow turnaround. To combat this issue, a new, faster test for TB has been produced by a multinational group of researchers at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
According to Professor Gerhard Walzl, one of the co-inventors, there are three main TB tests: The cultural test with a 42-day turnaround and limited availability (centralised laboratories are usually the only source for patients); the sputum microscopy test, which is labour-intensive and has only a 60% accuracy rate; and finally, the molecular test, which detects bacterial DNA in the sputum sample. The molecular test takes just two hours to provide a diagnosis, but is not widely available in rural areas.
Professor Gerhard Walzl stated that if their new method for testing TB is approved after clinical trials, it will be able to provide almost immediate results, allowing for diagnosis and treatment in a single visit. The test involves a hand-held, battery-operated instrument that measures chemicals in the blood sample. There is no need for laboratories or senior health-care workers, as the test can be carried out by any health-care worker with minimal training.
At the 4th Edition of the Africa Healthcare Summit 2017 (21-22 February, London) ministers of health from over 20 African countries will be discussing the fight against Tuberculosis, as well as current and ongoing projects for building better healthcare in Africa. This Summit is the largest event in Europe to focus on healthcare across Africa, and will host over 650 delegates, 85 exhibitors and 90+ top level speakers, including Ministers, National and International Hospital Directors & Distributors, architects, investors, solution providers and many more healthcare professionals.
Along with a number of Hospital & Clinic Directors and Distributors, Oliver Kinross, the organisers of the Africa Healthcare Summit, will be working very closely with Ministers of Health from across the continent, including Kenya, Gabon, Namibia, Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ghana and Madagascar.
To find out more information about the summit, including registration, exhibiting, or sponsorship, please contact Tannaz Rastegar on +44 207 065 5529 or +4479 409 62288. You can also send an email to
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REFRENCES: The conversation (2016), “African scientists a step closer to testing for TB in a matter of minutes”, available [Online] at: https://theconversation.com/african-scientists-a-step-closer-to-testing-for-tb-in-a-matter-of-minutes-59285, (Accessed on 16/06/2016)
