The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed a new and novel rapid test for tuberculosis (TB) which could provide an accurate diagnosis for many patients in about 100 minutes compared to current tests that can take up to three to six weeks. TB is a major cause of death and disability in the regions closes to us so it remains a real risk to the Australian community.
World TB expert Warwick Britton from the Centenary Institute in Sydney said: “The current test is over 100 years old now so it poses a major limitation in the early diagnosis of TB, especially in children and those with drug-resistant TB. This new rapid test is a significant breakthrough because it will allow accurate diagnosis within hours rather than the three to six weeks it currently takes to grow the bacterium.”
Go to the WHO Tuberculosis topic page to download fact sheets, guidelines and reports.
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