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Bengaluru-based company develops a cost-effective diagnostic tool for TB, to be available by next year

Bengaluru-based company develops a cost-effective diagnostic tool for TB, to be available by next year

At the 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, The Indian Council for Medical Research announced a cost-effective diagnostic tool for TB that is expected to be available in a year.

Written by Poorva Chavan |Published : March 7, 2016 10:08 AM IST

After making India polio-free, the government is now trying to combat tuberculosis, which is one if the biggest killers in the country. The number of TB patients in India is approximately two-three million which is the largest in the world. The WHO also estimates that over two lakh people in India have died from TB in 2014 alone.

At the 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases, The Indian Council for Medical Research announced a cost-effective diagnostic tool for TB that is expected to be available in a year. This tool is developed by a Bengaluru-based company and is expected to be as good as GeneXpert test which is a popular test to detect TB. Here are 10 facts about TB you should know.

ICMR Director General Soumya Swaminathan also said that if the evaluation of the test shows a positive result, this test might even replace the GeneXpert test that gives results in a couple of hours with minimal technical time. The evaluation will be over in the next three months, and if the results are positive, the test will be available in a year. Read: DOTS and its 5 basic measures to deal with tuberculosis

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ICMR is currently focussed on research to develop better and faster diagnostic tools and treatment strategies. It is also working on developing vaccines for major infections like malaria and HIV. Swaminathan also said that the phase-1 trials for the malaria vaccine shall start soon after the necessary approvals have been obtained.

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