The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said yesterday that it had sent to Sierra Leone equipment that was first used in nuclear processes but can help in quickly diagnosing Ebola and was in contact with other Liberia and Guinea about their needs.
According to Reuters, the UN agency said its specialised technology could make a "small but effective contribution" to combat the outbreak.
The fight against Ebola has been fraught with a series of challenges including late availability of test results of patients.
The agency says a nuclear-derived diagnostic technology known as Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) allows Ebola to be detected using fluorescent markers within a few hours.
An IAEA spokesman, Alexander Nitzsche said a shipment of an RT-PCR machine left for Sierra Leone on Sunday but would not give detail.
Other methods of detecting Ebola require growing on a cell culture for several days.
© Politico 11/11/14
