Nigerians can now test for malaria before treatment with its first ever Fyodor Urine malaria test (UMT) kit within 25 minutes.
The inventor, Dr Edwin Agbo, said the innovation, a do-it-yourself (DIY), is a giant stride as malaria has killed half of the world population. Speaking at the introduction/ launch of the product in Lagos, he said not all fevers are due to malaria.
Moreover, no fewer than 25 medical conditions are associated with fevers. He underscored the need for best practices and improved quality of care, such as test, treat and track – follow up with a provider.
“The test discovers parasite proteins present in the urine,” he said. UMT, he said, meets an urgent need for a non-invasive malaria diagnosis.
“Fever is a sign of malaria but there are many other causes of fever. There is a need to accurately tell if a fever is due to malaria or not to target treatment,” he added.
Agbo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fyodor Biotechnologies, said the number of malaria cases is going down because of the availability of malaria testing.
Traditional malaria testing procedures, Agbo said, are non-existent in private and community health settings, due partially to the risk of blood handling and challenges associated with the multi-step format.
He warned that the urine for the test should not be stored in the refrigerator because it would crystalise it. “Any state of urine, however, can be used for testing,” he said.
Principal Investigator and Director ANDI Centre of Excellence for Malaria Diagnosis, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof Wellington Oyibo said his team did its protocol so that UMT can sit anywhere in the world.
Why? This is because diagnosis of malaria is an integral part of treatment. He said most of the study was carried out in Ikorodu and environs with about 1500 participants, who are between two years and above, involved.
Vice President, Business Development and Projects Fyodor Dr Victoria Enwemadu said the product has the certification of local and international authorities.
She said the product does not need blood, reagent, equipment and guesswork. To use the product, she said, people should dip the white end of the strip into urine sample and leave for 25 minutes.
“If the result shows two lines, it is malaria but if is a line, it is not malaria,” she said. The shelf life, she said, was two years.
Lagos State’s Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris said malaria pose a major challenge to the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Moreover, it is the leading cause of death in Lagos State. Idris, represented by Dr Folayinka Daniel said: “Last year, 736,328 cases were reported.”Malaria, he said, remained a priority for the state.
According to him, the disease impedes development and as such serves as a cause and consequence of under-development.
He said the gold standard for malaria diagnosis is microscopy, adding that it is available in all public secondary and tertiary facilities in the state.
