--- description: The device can diagnose the deadly virus six times faster than methods currently used in West Africa title: Ebola: New 15-minute diagnosis test to be trialed in Guinea image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Guinea](/tag/guinea/) ## Guinea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 15-Minute Ebola Test To Undergo Trials in Guinea  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Nov 28, 2014 5:55 PM CUT  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Nov 28, 2014 5:55 PM CUT A rapid diagnostic test for the Ebola virus is about to be trialed at the Ebola treatment center in Conakry, Guinea, The Wellcome Trust [announced](http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP058046.htm "undefined") Friday. The new test, which can analyze blood or saliva samples, can make a diagnosis within just 15 minutes. Current technology can take anywhere from a couple of hours to four days to yield an accurate result. “A reliable 15-minute test that can confirm cases of Ebola would be a key tool for effective management of the Ebola outbreak, allowing patients to be identified, isolated and cared for as soon as possible,” [said](http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP058046.htm "undefined") Dr. Val Snewin from Wellcome, the international health charity funding the trials alongside the British government. The trial will use a “mobile suitcase laboratory” which is solar-powered for use in remote locations with limited power. Snewin added that a rapid test “not only gives patients a better chance of survival, but it prevents transmission of the virus to other people.” **MORE:** [Here’s how the Ebola vaccine trial is doing](New%20test to be trialed in Guinea can diagnose Ebola in 15 minutes "undefined") Also on Friday, French President Francois Hollande visited Guinea, marking the first trip by a Western leader to a country affected by the Ebola crisis. France has pledged $125 million to help the former French colony tackle the epidemic. The Ebola virus has claimed at least 5,689 lives in the current outbreak in West Africa, and infected three times as many. The World Health Organization said last week that the situation was “[stable](http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/situation-reports/en/ "undefined")” in Guinea, though it c[ontinues to deteriorate rapidly in Sierra Leone](http://time.com/3608131/ebola-sierra-leone-cases-west-africa/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3609555/15-minute-ebola-test-to-undergo-trials-in-guinea/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3609555/15-minute-ebola-test-to-undergo-trials-in-guinea/"},"headline":"15-Minute Ebola Test To Undergo Trials in Guinea","datePublished":"2014-11-28T17:55:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:26:31.788Z","description":"The device can diagnose the deadly virus six times faster than methods currently used in West Africa","url":"https://time.com/3609555/15-minute-ebola-test-to-undergo-trials-in-guinea/","keywords":["Guinea"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Naina Bajekal","jobTitle":"Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/naina-bajekal/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/guinea/","name":"Guinea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3609555/15-minute-ebola-test-to-undergo-trials-in-guinea/","name":"15-Minute Ebola Test To Undergo Trials in Guinea"}}]}] ```