WHO approved ReEBOV Antigen rapid test kit to identify Ebola-infected patients

World Health Organization (WHO) in the fourth  week of February 2015 approved rapid test kit ReEBOV Antigen for Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EVD) that can give results in 15 minutes.
The test kit developed by Corgenix in the United States (US) has been approved for use in West African countries.

Who: ReEBOV Antigen rapid test kit

Where: For use in Western Africa

What: Approved by World Health Organisation (WHO)

When: Fourth week of February 2015

Why: To identify Ebola-infected patients

The key feature of rapid test kit is that it can correctly distinguish patients infected with Ebola patients not infected with Ebola. You can identify about 92 percent of patients infected with Ebola and 85 percent of patients not infected with the virus.

Characteristics of rapid test kit Antigen ReEBOV:

It's quick and easy test that can be used in rural African settings
The test simply detects the Ebola protein instead of testing for genetic material of the virus - its nucleic acid.
It is less definitive, but it can correctly identify about 92 percent of patients infected with Ebola and 85 percent of those not infected with the virus.
The test is small, cheap and portable, but is less sensitive than the gold standard test used to diagnose early stage Ebola.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever since its emergence in West Africa has claimed more than 6,000 lives. The main reason for so many deaths was the early detection of EVD.
The current available evidence takes about four to six hours to detect EVD but delays in transporting samples to laboratories and get back results can mean a diagnosis takes several days.
Although the number of cases declined, but still rapid test can help in the campaign to identify patients infected with Ebola and lead to early treatment