Important Facts for Prelims (21st November 2018) | 21 Nov 2018

World Heritage Week is marked around the world from November 19-25, after UNESCO declared the designated period a few decades ago.
Its objective is to increase awareness about the preservation of invaluable heritage and celebrate the architectural and cultural legacy.
India currently has 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It is a non-invasive test kit used to detect malaria.
It is a low cost and reusable device that could be used to test for malaria instantly. It was developed in Uganda.
This device is called ‘Matibabu’, a word in Swahili which means “treatment”.
Unlike current testing methods that require blood to be drawn for testing, ‘Matibabu’ is “bloodless”.
The device is clipped onto a finger and ‘using light and magnetism, a red beam of light scans the finger to detect changes in the colour, shape and concentration of red blood cells — all of which are often affected when the malaria parasite is present in the body’.
The result is available within a minute and sent to a mobile phone which is linked to the device.
Another key feature is that one does not require specialized training to use the device.
‘Matibabu’ can provide an easy diagnosis of malaria in low-income areas such as Uganda.
The device and application won the first prize at ‘Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation’ 2018 — an award dedicated to engineering innovation on the continent.
‘Matibabu’ has also been mentioned in Time magazine as one of 50 best inventions of 2018.