SubscribeBinaxNOW Malaria from Inverness Medical, a leading manufacturer of Rapid Immunodiagnostic Devices, is helping healthcare professionals around the world in the battle against malaria.
Today, malaria is a preventable and treatable disease, yet it still kills over a million people a year, most of them young children living in Africa. In fact, a child somewhere dies of malaria every 30 seconds.
Despite the perception that malaria is an entirely African problem, 40% of the world's population is at risk of the disease. Almost every country in South and Central America is malaria endemic and incidences are rising in the Western Hemisphere. With the increase of long haul international leisure and business travel many people are at risk from returning home unaware they have contracted the disease.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 30,000 international travelers fall ill with the disease annually. Symptoms of malaria sometimes do not occur until weeks or even months after exposure and prompt diagnosis and correct treatment can make the difference between life and death.
BinaxNOW Malaria is a rapid field or laboratory test for the differential diagnosis of a malaria infection. The simple test provides results in just 15 minutes, allowing for accurate treatment and improved patient outcomes.
Utilising a patented card device, the BinaxNOW Malaria Test follows a simple procedure where a whole blood finger-prick sample is added to a sample pad. After just 15 minutes the result can be read. This speed and simplicity allows diagnosis and targeted treatment to occur in the same patient visit, enabling healthcare workers to combat the threat of malaria as quickly as possible.
The Roll Back Malaria Strategy of WHO confirms that the diagnosis and treatment of malaria should start within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms to prevent progression to severe disease or death.