People in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) will get a faster diagnosis thanks to a new test method, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
The molecular test method, known as line probe assays, can produce a diagnosis result in less than two days, much faster than the standard two to three months, said the UN agency in a statement.
Over the next four years, 16 countries will begin using the new test method to diagnose MDR-TB.
The WHO will help countries prepare for installation and use of the new rapid diagnostic tests.
One country, Lesotho, is already equipped to start using these tests, and Ethiopia is expected to be ready by the end of 2008.
The tests will be phased in during 2009-2011 in the remaining 14 countries.
MDR-TB is a form of TB that responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin.
At present it is estimated that only 2 percent of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately, mainly because of inadequate laboratory services.
Source: Xinhua
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