Lateral flow test

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen those pregnancy test kits that mommy uses to check if she's going to have a baby? A lateral flow test works in a very similar way, except it's used to check if someone has a certain type of sickness, like a cold or flu.

There's a little strip that you put a few drops of liquid on (like saliva or blood), and then you wait a few minutes. The strip has a special chemical inside that can recognize if there are certain proteins or antibodies in the liquid that might be related to the illness.

And just like a pregnancy test has a little line that appears if mommy is pregnant, a lateral flow test also has a little line that appears if the person being tested is sick. It's kind of like magic paper that changes color!

It's a really helpful tool because it's easy and quick to use, so doctors and nurses can get results right away instead of waiting for hours or days for a lab to test the same thing. It's like a superpower that helps people stay healthy and get better faster!