The Lagos State Commissioner for Health has approved the Urine Malaria Test (UMT), the first ever non-blood rapid test that tells in 25 minutes or less, if a fever is due to malaria, for all patients who display symptoms of malaria.
Dr Jide Idris, stated that malaria is endemic in Lagos State and it poses a major challenge to the state as it impedes human development.
“In 2015, 736,328 cases of malaria were reported in the state. It Is both a cause and consequence of underdevelopment and remains one of the leading causes of mortality in the state.”
The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Professor Adewale Oke, expressed optimism, saying that the UMT came at the right time as the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that a patient should be tested before treatment.
He noted that with UMT, the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria would be reduced drastically.
The chairman, Fyodor Biotechnologies Corporation, USA, Dr Edwin Agbo said the UMT was developed by Nigerians, led by Nigerians and for Nigeria and the rest of the world, adding that Nigeria is taking strides in healthcare innovation.
He said, “Fyodor, alone, cannot take the credit for this eight years’ journey. We had many partners along the way like the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria; we worked with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Malaria Elimination Program, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, ANDI Center of Excellence for Malaria Diagnosis, College of Medicine and the University of Lagos.”
