C-FAST

C-FAST was a device purported to be able to detect infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) from a distance, using electromagnetic radiation emanating from the virus' genome. At a press conference in February 2014, Egyptian generals presented the device as a result of decades-long secret military research.

Device

The government of Egypt filed an international patent for the device in 2010.

The device's design and claimed method of action were very similar to those of the bogus bomb detection device ADE 651,^[4] and it resembles a divining rod.^[5]

Press conference

At the press conference on 24 February 2014, Egyptian major-general Ibrahim Abdel-Atti revealed the device, as well as a similar one ("I-FAST") for the detection of

Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who had just been appointed Minister of Defense, attended the presentation, which might have had political significance, especially since Egypt has the highest rate of hepatitis C in the world and Al-Sisi was a candidate (and ultimately successful) in the presidential elections three months later.^[7]

Reactions and further developments

Egyptian comedian, news commenter and physician Bassem Youssef mocked the devices on air.^[8]

The CCD was planned to be rolled out in Egyptian army hospitals in July 2014, but in that month it was announced that this roll-out had to be delayed to allow for further testing. The claims about the devices were strongly criticised by doctors and scientists.^[7][9]

References