Africa has found salvation from the covid. She developed a dollar test

Therefore, one aspect of its development was that not only laboratory conditions but also electricity were needed for the analysis. In fact, it is just a basic test strip housed in a plastic case. He needs a small drop of blood for the analysis, similar to testing a diabetic. The strip reacts to substances in the blood, the result is shown by its coloration.

The prototype was tested by the Pasteur Institute in June this year, and is now awaiting the approval of the Senegalese health regulator. “Then we can start production immediately,” Sall confirmed. He obtained finance from donors from all over the world, and in addition to a number of charitable funds, the British government also contributed to it. The rapid test kits will first be distributed to African countries as determined by the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC). Ideally, they will also be provided to the general public, but priority is now given to medical facilities. According to Sall, if all goes well as expected, 10 to 15 million kits will be available by February 2021.

Most patients are untreated

According to the ACDC, the black continent now has about 1.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus infection. Half of them are reported from South Africa. The number of diseases is relatively low compared to the rest of the world. According to virologists, the low level of protest is to blame, so most patients are untreated and unreported. South Africa has the most tests. According to Anderson Latt, an epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO), the rapid distribution of cheap tests across Africa is a major challenge for the coming months.

Today, although all 47 African countries are able to provide testing for their populations, the most accurate PCR tests are too expensive and require laboratory analysis, so many are still lagging behind in testing. In addition, at the beginning of the pandemic in the spring, there were only two laboratories in Africa that performed PCR tests – in South Africa and Senegal.

Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, has also been actively involved in the fight against the pandemic. So far, it imports PCR tests from China, but it still has a shortage. Therefore, even here they are trying to develop their own test set. According to the first information, one kit should cost around $ 25 and the result should bring in 40 minutes. “The situation is critical and the country needs to work together. The Pasteur Institute test kits are therefore a welcome addition to the continent in the fight against the disease, “Latt added to CNN.

The Pasteur Institute in Dakar is no newcomer to the fight against epidemics. He has been involved in the production of vaccines for 80 years, during the time of Ebola he kept diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance over the spread of the disease. Amadou Sall is also the director of the WHO Coordination Center for Arboviruses (ie viruses transmitted to humans most often by insects) and viral haemorrhagic fevers in Senegal.

“Our test kits can also support the African economy. If you are facing a situation where people cannot work – for example for quarantine reasons, similar initiatives to detect the presence of the disease in the human body are a way to keep the economy going, “added Sall.

– .