SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The County of San Diego’s new Public Health Lab is set to acquire a golf cart-sized machine that can quickly test for diseases. According to county health officials, the one-of-a-kind machine, called Diasorin Liaison XL, works twice as fast as current practices. The large piece of equipment can test for diseases like tuberculosis (TB), chickenpox, shingles, measles, mumps, and rubella.   The Board of Supervisors approved the $240,000 purchase, with the hopes that local epidemiologists can use it to help fight the spread of diseases. This is especially important when it comes to preventing the spread of TB as local cases have been on the rise. “The biggest challenge in preventing TB is that many people are unaware they have it,” said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, MD, county interim public health officer. The Diasorin Liaison XL can test a person’s blood to diagnose TB infection, which differs from the traditional skin testing method. “Latent or dormant TB can be easily treated, yet an estimated 85% of active TB cases come from untreated latent TB," Dr. Kadakia continued. "Latent TB sleeps in someone’s body until they develop conditions such as immune suppression, which causes the TB to wake up and cause disease. We estimate 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infections.” The speedy testing machine is expected to increase the amount of TB tests performed locally, leading to more people getting treated for the infection.