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Rats sniff TB in Tanzania

───   07:27 Sat, 16 Dec 2017

Rats sniff TB in Tanzania  | News Article

The use of giant rats to sniff out the potentially deadly disease tuberculosis (TB) in Tanzania is set to nearly double by the end of the year due to successful detection rates.


Reuters reports African Giant Pouched Rats, which are taught to detect TB using their olfactory abilities, have been so successful at the task that they will now service nearly 60 clinics countrywide, up from 29. 

The rats, which can measure up to a metre and can spot TB in samples of human mucus, were introduced in Tanzania in 2007 by Belgian charity APOPO as an alternative to more costly and slower traditional chemical testing. 

The rats, nicknamed ‘HeroRATs’, undergo a training process that begins when they are four weeks old and involves receiving banana rewards for good behaviour. 

The rats are also deployed to detect explosives in minefields from Cambodia to Colombia.


Reuters

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