WHO: TB blood tests unreliable
2011-07-17 20:17
Geneva - The World Health Organisation says widely used blood tests to detect tuberculosis are "dangerous" to patients because they are unreliable.
The UN health agency said on Sunday it will issue an unprecedented recommendation against using such tests for the infectious lung disease thought to affect 14 million people worldwide.
Blood tests are often used in developing countries such as India, where an estimated three million people are infected with the disease.
The director of WHO's Stop TB department, Mario Raviglione, said that the tests are "a waste of money and time, putting proper care at risk".
The guidance to be issued later this week recommends patients continue to be tested using the older sputum microscopy method.
- SAPA
