GUIYANG, CHINA | Xinhua | The karst mountains of Guizhou Province in southwest China feature ravines so deep that locals call them “the Earth’s cracks.” At Huajiang Town, the Beipan River carves one such gorge, a relic of Triassic seas, etched into limestone cliffs, which once marked the limits of …
Read More »New TB skin test
It could offer cheaper and easier way to detect the disease HEALTH | YVETTE NAUDE | Detecting tuberculosis early could play a significant role in eradicating the world’s most deadly infectious disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says 1.5 million people die from this devastating disease each year. People infected with …
Read More »‘Men prefer receiving HIV Test kits from peers than testing at Hospitals’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Distributing self-test kits through secondary individuals who may not necessarily be health workers has been found to be effective in luring more men into getting tested for HIV. This is according to the results of a study done by researchers at Busitema University where …
Read More »Health Ministry discourages use of RDTs to screen asymptomatic patients
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has cautioned COVID-19 testing facilities about the use of antigen COVID-19 Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RDTs) to screen asymptomatic patients. According to the health ministry, the RDTs should be used to test persons who have symptoms of COVID-19 because they have …
Read More »US lab unveils portable 5-minute COVID-19 test
Washington, United States | AFP | A US-based lab has unveiled a portable test that can tell if someone has COVID-19 in as little as five minutes, it said in a statement Friday. Abbott Laboratories said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given it emergency authorization to begin …
Read More »Self-medical tests
Why some are safer than others Kampala, Uganda | GLENDA MARY DAVISON | Recent media reports revealed that digital home pregnancy tests being sold at leading pharmacies in South Africa and the UK were consistently giving false positive results. Both countries acted quickly. The home pregnancy kits, reportedly manufactured by a …
Read More »Blood test your inner body clock
Know when it’s best to eat, work, exercise, sleep Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Timing is everything, and it also has a huge impact on your health. Now there’s a blood test to better understand your internal time clock and optimize it for better well-being. The TimeSignature test was developed …
Read More »New Blood Test Can Detect 8 Types of Cancer
Kampala, Uganda | TEREZA PULTAROVA | Researchers have developed a new blood test that can detect eight common types of cancer, including the notoriously elusive liver and pancreatic cancers. Some day, doctors may be able to use this method to spot cancers in their early stages — before the onset of …
Read More »Flurry of activity hints at North Korea missile test: reports
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Radio signals and radar activity detected at a North Korean missile base have raised concerns the reclusive regime may be preparing a new missile test, news reports in Seoul and Tokyo said Tuesday. The North has stoked international alarm over its banned nuclear missile …
Read More »Malaria breath test promising
Washington, US | MICHELLE ROBERTS | People with malaria give off a distinctive “breath-print” that could be used as a test for the disease, according to American scientists. They had already tried out a crude prototype breathalyser in Africa, a tropical medicine conference heard. The test was reasonably good at detecting …
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