A team of five female students at Uganda’s University Of Makerere  have developed a mobile app that uses a portable BV Kit to help women detect harmful bacteria that cause a host of virginal infections.

The Team Code Gurus uses a combination of hardware and software — and works with a Bluetooth medium — to detect acidity levels in urine and give instant results on a mobile phone app.

“The software gives you the exact values and lets you know whether you have healthy or unhealthy vaginal bacteria,” Nanyombi Magni, Team Code Gurus project leader, says in a promotional video, adding that the app goes on to inform the user if she should see a doctor and where to find a qualified gynecologist.

The simple kit, though yet to be fully commercialized, give hope to women across many African countries where access to basic health care is a very expensive and time consuming exercise.

“You can run tests on yourself every once in a month, to make sure that your bacteria is okay and that you are not developing anything that you shouldn’t have,” Esther Ndagire, one of the app programmers, said.

“If we can touch the life of one woman, then that’s enough.”