The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Research (KCCR) has presented a highly sensitive test kit for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis to support health care delivery at the KNUST Hospital. The Latex Agglutination Test Kit, estimated to cost 2,500 Euros, comes as a combo test for three different bacterial organisms, including meningitis, pneumonia and influenza. Deputy Head of Laboratories at the KCCR, Augustina Angelina Annan says the donation is part if the Centre’s contribution to help curb the perennial problem of bacterial meningitis in the Ashanti region and environs. “Unlike the usual test done at the hospitals, they have to culture the bacterial and culture takes quite a very long time. But this is very rapid, it is very sensitive and it is highly specific. So we feel it will really go a long way to curb bacterial meningitis in Ghana”, she observed. Mrs. Annan emphasized the need for laboratories in Ghanaian health care centres to be certified to carry out requisite test in finding out causative agents of infections. She wants the Biomedical Association of Ghana to be supported in its quest to promote good policies and best laboratory practices. Meanwhile, the Director of KCCR, Thomas van Kampen says the Centre is open to support any research activity in the area of tropical disease. He notes the KCCR does not go for specific project areas but “anything which can be covered under tropical disease, including traditional treatment, herbal treatment, we are absolutely open and we support in our capacity all these direction”. KCCR is one of the research institutes of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and has been working for the past twelve years. The major focus is to link Ghanaian and international scientists to address the needs in tropical medicine and health for Ghana and the rest of the world. Current activities include a variety of studies on malaria vaccines, viral diseases transmitted by animals as well as a study looking at childhood development in relation to infection with certain tropical diseases. Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh