New blood test could ‘transform’ treatment for children with fever

Doctors say test may diagnose childhood illnesses in less than an hour, helping quickly identify life-threatening infections

A new blood test that would enable the commonest childhood illnesses to be diagnosed in less than an hour could transform" medical care, doctors say.

Currently it can take doctors hours, days or even weeks to identify which of 18 infectious and inflammatory diseases a child with a worryingly high temperature is suffering from.