Here is the latest discovery on How to cure Malaria with RAM (Rapid Assessment of Malaria)
Although it is preventable and curable, the World Health Organization
estimates that 438,000 people died from malaria in 2015, mostly in
sub-Saharan Africa.
John Lewandowski, a PhD student in mechanical engineering at MIT, said diagnosing it quickly is critical.
"Early detection is very important, typically in the first five to
seven days before symptoms arise, so that treatment can begin," said
Lewandowski, 26.
He's designed a mechanical device called RAM
(Rapid Assessment of Malaria) that is able to detect malaria in five
seconds from a drop of blood.
There are two primary ways to diagnose malaria: You can test a drop
of blood under a microscope to identify the parasite, or you can do a
diagnostic test on a blood drop sample, which returns a positive or
negative result, similar to a home pregnancy test.
But many
rural communities in Africa and Asia don't have the medical
infrastructure for microscopic tests, and the diagnostic test can't
detect malaria infection in the very early stages.
Lewandowski developed his device to make diagnosing malaria quicker and cheaper.
The RAM is battery-operated, costs about $100 to $120, and is made from
low-cost materials. The plastic box (measuring 4x4 inches) has a small
circuit board, a few magnets and a laser on the inside. On the outside
is an LCD screen, an SD card slot and a plastic disposable cuvette.
"It's pretty bare bones," said Lewandowski, who's the founder and CEO
of Boston-based Disease Diagnostic Group, which is developing the
device.
You take a finger prick of blood and insert it into the box through
the cuvette. If the malaria parasite is present, the magnets draw the
iron crystals horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The laser helps
identify the pattern and diagnose the disease. (If the disease isn't
present, no crystals form.)
The technology is deliberately
simplistic and easy to use, although diagnosing the parasite and
determining treatment needs to be done by a local clinic or hospital.
SOURCE : CNN
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