Finally, progress in tuberculosis diagnostic technology! The current standard in resource-poor settings is sputum smear microscopy—a technology originally developed in the 1880s. Now, the World Health Organization has approved a new rapid test for TB and drug resistance. Co-developed by FIND Diagnostics and other partners, this resource has the potential to make a huge difference for national TB programs, providers, and most importantly, for people who might have TB or multi-drug resistant TB. How does it work? Where can it be used?How might it make a difference in the global effort to stop TB?
Hosted online by the CORE Group Tuberculosis Working Group on March 25, 2011, this easy-to-view Elluminate session offers context and an overview of the product including its diagnostic capabilities, the technology behind it, how quickly a diagnosis can be made, what infrastructure and human resources are necessary, where WHO recommends its use, and the cost implications. Presenter Dr. Elizabeth Talbot is an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and International Health at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and Medical Scientist, FIND: Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics,