WHO approves first rapid, accurate test for tuberculosis

According to an announcement on December 5, WHO said the test developed by the US company Cepheid is capable of detecting tuberculosis bacteria in sputum samples in just a few hours.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially approved the rapid and accurate diagnostic method Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for tuberculosis - a disease that claimed the lives of 1.25 million people worldwide last year.

According to an announcement on December 5, WHO said the test developed by the US company Cepheid is capable of detecting tuberculosis bacteria in sputum samples in just a few hours.

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra can identify drug-resistant bacterial strains. (Source: MSF).

Not only that, Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra can also identify drug-resistant bacterial strains , helping doctors develop more effective treatment regimens.

The WHO approval of this test marks an important milestone in efforts to accelerate TB diagnosis and treatment globally.

By providing a rapid, accurate and easy-to-use diagnostic tool , WHO hopes to help countries, especially those with a high TB ​​burden, increase their ability to detect and treat patients early, thereby limiting the spread of the disease and reducing deaths.

According to the latest WHO report, the number of new tuberculosis cases globally rose to a record high in 2023, with about 8.2 million people falling ill - the highest number since the disease began to be monitored and monitored in 1995.

Five countries, India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan, account for more than half of global TB cases, with India alone accounting for a quarter of the total cases.

With 1.25 million deaths from tuberculosis, the disease may have returned as the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, three years after being displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO said.