WHO podcast: Better diagnostic testing may be a key to count malaria cases and help defeat the disease. Also, better tests will more accurately identify who actually has the disease, make sure people get the correct medicines and prevent the misuse of malaria drugs.

Dr Robert Newman: Now we need to make sure that when people do still get sick with a fever that they are getting the appropriate diagnostic testing. For many years, fever equalled malaria in many parts of the world, especially in Africa, so people with a fever would go in and were automatically given medicines to treat malaria. Now we can actually provide diagnostic testing for people. Traditionally this was with a microscope which meant that in very small health facilities and rural areas, it wasn't possible. But today we have inexpensive rapid diagnostic test that can be performed by any level of health worker and so the message for a patient with fever has changed from going in to get treatment to go in and get tested...

As malaria is being controlled, a lower proportion of those fevers are actually due to malaria. So it is increasingly important that we accurately determine the cause of fever, rather than reflexively assuming that it's malaria. We have changed the WHO recommendations to say that all persons with symptoms of malaria should benefit from a diagnostic test and that those who are confirmed as having malaria should then get appropriate treatment with an artemisin-based combination therapy (ACT).

Comment inventer ici pour soigner là bas - "how to invent here in order to treat over there" was the commentator's opening remark.  In an interview for the Radio Suisse Romande, Dr Roscigno, FIND CEO, epitomized the difficulties encountered by health workers in remote field conditions who are trying to correctly, and rapidly, diagnose patients suffering from poverty-related and neglected diseases. He highlighted the need for high-performing but simple diagnostic technologies, such as the latest molecular tests, that can be adapted for the poorest environments, and their crucial role in stopping the progression of disease.

If you would like to receive an English transcription of the interview, please write us at: info@finddiagnostics.org

Lors d’une interview pour la radio Suisse romande, Dr Roscigno a expliqué à Emmanuel Gripon les problématiques auxquelles sont confrontées les agents de santé sur le terrain pour diagnostiquer les patients. Il a souligné le besoin d’outils de diagnostic adaptés pour la maladie du sommeil, le paludisme et la tuberculose ainsi que leur rôle crucial dans la lutte contre les maladies tropicales dans les pays en développement.

In this eight-minutes long podcast, Madhukar Pai, Assistant Professor & CIHR New Investigator (McGill University, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics), and Co-chair of the Stop TB Partnership’s New Diagnostics Working Group, says his endorsement for open access publishing came as a result of his experience as a student in India and later as a researcher unable to get access to the PDF of his own published work.

He also discusses the potential of open access publishing for tuberculosis research  – which kills approximately two million people every year.

Many thanks to Bruce, Madhukar and Chris for putting together this podcast.