Ebola rapid diagnostic kit developed by UK scientists in Sierra Leone

Doctors says the kit, if approved by health authorities, could transform the admissions process with its capacity to deliver results within 20 minutes

THE GUARDIAN    by Lisa O'Carroll                              March 29, 2015

A rapid Ebola diagnostic kit similar to a pregnancy kit has been developed by British military scientists and NHS medics in Sierra Leone.

Health care workers prepare to entering a high risk zone at an Ebola virus clinic in Sierra Leone, where the diagnostic kit has been undergoing tests. Photograph: Michael Duff/AP

It can be administered at the bedside and return its first results within 20 minutes, slashing dramatically the normal 24-hour turnaround for lab results.

Early bedside tests in the Connaught hospital in Freetown have shown a 100% detection rate, said Dr Oliver Johnson, who heads a partnership between the UK’s King’s Health Partners and the hospital.

“We have 10,000 of these kits sitting in Sierra Leone waiting to go if we can get the approval,” says Johnson.

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/29/ebola-rapid-diagnostic-kit-developed-by-uk-scientists-in-sierra-leone