Machine offers hope of one-hour detection of meningitis

A LIFESAVING piece of equipment resembling a small printer could revolutionise the speed at which meningitis is diagnosed – a process which is expensive and dangerously lengthy.

The machine, which is on trial at the Emergency Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast, takes a blood or saliva sample which can produce results within an hour, say scientists at Queen’s University Belfast.

Early detection and treatment is vital for a successful outcome if meningitis is suspected, so the speed of the new test is being hailed as a groundbreaking development.