NPR: A $2 Test Might Have Helped This Man With HIV Avoid Daily Spinal Taps
“…A so-called opportunistic infection, [cryptococcal meningitis] is a threat primarily to those with HIV who lack access to the antiretroviral therapy that can keep the virus in check. … In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, crypto annually kills nearly as many people in sub-Saharan Africa as tuberculosis — and more in a month, every month, than the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Yet experts say it may also be the easiest to tackle, especially with the advent of a new rapid test called the Cryptococcal Antigen Lateral Flow Assay, or CrAg LFA…” (Adams, 2/21).