A group of Nigerian scientists have come up with a new simple method for diagnosing malaria.
This marks the first time urine, not blood, is used to test for malaria.
The new urine test kit was developed by Fyodor, a biotechnology firm in Lagos.
Unlike the old method which requires health personnel to carry out malaria tests, people can now test themselves for the disease at home.
“This is a major milestone,” said Eddy Agbo, founder of Fyodor.
“It is a one step [process]. You just dip [a thread] in the sample, leave it there for 25 minutes and read the result. It is very similar to a pregnancy test that uses urine,” he added.
The innovation gained international and local recognition after winning the inaugural 2015 Health Innovation Challenge awards in Nigeria. It was also nominated for the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) award in collaboration with the Government of Botswana.