So being resourceful in Tanzania goes a long way, especially when you are battling a disease that has persisted for centuries–Tuberculosis (TB). Currently the most basic and accessible test for TB is sputum smear microscopy that is not very reliable or effective. In fact this technology is over 100 years old. Concerted efforts to develop a new rapid, efficient, and widely accessible test have been ongoing for the past decades, but no suitable alternative has been discovered. In the past several years, however, a new method of TB testing has been discovered that is 50 percent more reliable than the sputum smear microscopy–rats. Yes, rats are something that Tanzania does have an abundant source of. They even ate my clothes while I was living in Zanzibar. But, now these despised furry creatures are actually contributing to human society in being 87% reliable in sniffing out TB from an infected sputum sample.
Check out the article from the Global Health Council’s Magazine, Global Health. It is titled HeroRATS: African Rats Trained to Sniff Out TB.
FYI: The link doesn’t work
By: Rach on December 9, 2009
at 7:32 PM
Ahhh, thanks for checking the link sis and letting me know. Had too many http:// in the actual link. it should be working now!
By: lydiahartsell on December 10, 2009
at 8:44 AM