ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Scientists and researchers at the federal government’s largest national laboratory have developed an app and mobile device they say can detect Zika.
The New Mexico-based Sandia National Laboratories says the new app connects to a smartphone-controlled, battery-operated diagnostic device to identify Zika, dengue, and chikungunya within 30 minutes.
Traditional testing for the mosquito-borne viruses often requires a laboratory and long waits. Officials say the cost for that testing can run $20,000 and make it out of reach for rural clinics in developing countries where the viruses thrive.
But Sandia scientists say their new device weighs under a pound and costs as little as $100.
The Sandia team describes its rapid-testing prototype in the journal Scientific Reports .
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