Maria E. Rafael

Reducing the Global Burden of Tuberculosis: The Contribution of Improved Diagnostics

We estimated the impact of hypothetical new diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with persistent cough in developing countries. We found that a variety of new tests could help better identify TB cases and target treatment, thereby reducing the burden of disease.

Reducing the burden of childhood malaria in Africa: the role of improved

Malaria kills > 1 million children aged < 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa annually. Current control efforts are hampered by increasing drug resistance, unreliable diagnostics, widespread overtreatment and rising drug costs. In this environment, new and widely available malaria diagnostics have the potential to save lives and drastically reduce overtreatment.

Developing and Interpreting Models to Improve Diagnostics in Developing Countries

Developing a strategy for investment in diagnostic technologies requires an understanding of the need for, and the health impact of, potential new tools, as well as the necessary performance characteristics and user requirements. In this paper, we outline an approach for modelling the health benefits of new diagnostic tools.

Reducing the burden of sexually transmitted infections in resource-limited settings: the role of improved diagnostics.

There is a great need for improved diagnosis of curable bacterial sexually transmitted infections among women in developing countries. We found that wider access to new diagnostic tests has a greater overall impact on health outcomes than improvements in test sensitivity or specificity.