Department for International Development written question – answered at on 22 June 2015.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made in ensuring that rapid diagnostic tests for ebola are available in Sierra Leone.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the rapid diagnostic test developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories will be made available for use in Sierra Leone.
Prompt diagnosis of Ebola is vital for an effective response. The UK is investing £1.34 million in new research to fight the virus, including the ongoing development of two rapid diagnostic tests for diagnosis of Ebola by the Institut Pasteur and University of Westminster. The UK is also providing support to other research programmes on Ebola diagnostics and treatments, through enabling the use of the UK funded treatment facilities and laboratories.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL) has been working with BBI Detection to provide Public Health England (PHE) with prototypes of a rapid diagnostic device, named the UK Ebola Lateral Flow Device. The device has been evaluated in Sierra Leone by PHE to determine its utility in the outbreak setting, and the decision on whether to proceed with production now rests with the manufacturer.
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