An international team of researchers led by Imperial College London stated that a cheap pin-prick blood test to accurately identify bacterial infections in less than one hour could be developed within five years.

The goal is to make this test cost so small that it could be used in even poor countries.  This is good news and a step in the right direction.  It fails though to deal with the fact that by the time symptoms of meningitis are present, there may be little or no time to eradicate the disease or keep it from taking a devastating toll on the infected person.  The most effective method of dealing with meningitis is to be vaccinated and to never become ill in the first place. Vaccination is critical if people are to be fully protected.

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