Correct and timely diagnosis is the first step in any medical intervention and forms the first line of defence in global health security. Diagnostic tests influence close to 70% of all healthcare decisions and yet, they constitute a meagre 3% – 5% of healthcare spending in most countries. Given the current lack of funding dedicated to research and development (R&D) for new diagnostic tests, I fear that we could face an explosion of infectious diseases which will, without rapid and accurate diagnosis, become increasingly difficult to contain. In turn, this will put an immense burden on the healthcare system of any country. In ancient times, physicians used direct observation to...
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