New Test Seen As Big Advance in Diagnosing TB

Julia

Title: New Test Seen As Big Advance in Diagnosing TB
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Writer: Marilynn Marohione
Length (of article): 779

Main Idea: With the help of Dr. Peter Small, scientists have been able to create a new test that could replace the 125-year-old process we currently have in our hospitals. These tests would be available for anyone, and to increase the amount of hospitals they can get it at, in poor countries, the price would be less than half of the current price. This new test is revolutionizing TB care by replacing the process which currently misses over half of all TB cases. It would mostly be for inner cities because it would reduce the number of drugs people would have to take by originally determining if they are immune to the medication. It was released for sale last year in Europe, and although prices have been discussed for other countries, there have been no reports on the dates that they will be released.

Conclusion: Overall this new test will be able to replace the old one, which in turn will do many things. It will diagnose roughly about 97 percent of all TB cases, and 98 percent of the people who are resistant to rifampin, a drug used to treat TB. It will also be made cheaper for countries that cannot afford it, which will increase the amount of hospitals that carry the new test.