Accessible quality-assured diagnostics - 2009 annual report
An outline of progress made in TDR’s ‘Accessible quality-assured diagnostics’ research function during 2009
Summary
Early diagnosis and treatment have important roles in interrupting transmission of infectious diseases and preventing the development of long-term complications. Nonetheless, diagnostics have been an undervalued component of disease control and prevention. Although high-quality diagnostic tests are available for many infectious diseases, these often are unaffordable or inaccessible to patients in developing countries due to the lack of laboratory infrastructure and expertise. Furthermore, poor diagnostics are widely sold and used, as a result of inadequate regulatory mechanisms in many developing countries. There is thus an urgent need for accessible quality-assured diagnostics for infectious diseases of poverty, and for research to gather objective evidence on the cost-effectiveness of using these tests in real-life settings.