Malaria included in FIND disease portfolio
After receiving a $9.8 million grant from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FIND is expanding its disease portfolio to
include malaria. Today, with over 300 million cases of acute illness worldwide, malaria is one
of the greatest global threats to public health. With over a million deaths each year,
80-90 percent of these occur in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, billions of dollars are lost
each year in low productivity due to the disease. Better diagnosis can significantly
contribute to reversing these alarming trends.
The grant will allow FIND to evaluate the performance of existing rapid diagnostic tests
(RDTs) for malaria and identify improvements needed for new malaria diagnostics. The program
will also address technical and business obstacles to developing more accurate and robust alternatives.
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