New WHO test-based approach against malaria does not work everywhere
Friday, June 28, 2013 - 11:00
in Health & Medicine
In view of the sharp rise in treatment costs of malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that there must be a hard diagnosis before the disease is treated. The WHO is deploying rapid tests, a variation of the well-known pregnancy test in which a drop of blood is used. Researchers in Belgium conclude that the new approach is unreliable and that the costs outweigh the benefits in areas where malaria is highly endemic.