10 African Tech Innovations Helping To Diagnose Medical Conditions
Africa’s inventors and entrepreneurs are proof that the continent’s unique needs can be catered for through innovation and resourcefulness, specifically where the diagnosis of medical conditions are concerned.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 90 percent of global malaria cases and 92 percent of malaria deaths, according to World Health Organization stats from 2015.
An ingenious smartphone diagnostic tool from Uganda that helps to detect malaria can assist healthcare workers in rural areas to diagnose it early and treat it accordingly.
From a smart jacket that helps medical professionals correctly diagnose pneumonia, to a computer that successfully detects cancer cells, and a rapid diagnostic test tool that identifies many infections in a single test, these devices are saving lives across the continent.
Here are 10 African tech innovations that are helping to diagnose medical conditions.
A computer that can smell cancer cells
Nigerian inventor Oshiorenoya Agabi has designed and developed a computer that can identify the smell of cancer cells through a combination of neurons and silicon. The device can also be used to detect illness by sensing markers of a disease in the air molecules that a patient gives off. Being able to smell and detect cancer cells at an early stage could lead to huge gains in early detection and treatment of such diseases, according to BizCommunity.
A malaria diagnostic tool on a smartphone
In an effort to combat malaria, Code8, a team of four young Ugandans, created Matibabu, a smartphone app that helps to diagnose malaria without the need of a blood sample. Using a custom-made matiscope with a red LED and a light sensor, it can analyze the red blood cells, with the results viewed via a smartphone to give users with their malaria status in the shortest amount of time.
A jacket that correctly identifies pneumonia
Mama-Ope is a biomedical smart jacket developed by Ugandan Brian Turyabagye that helps doctors diagnose pneumonia faster and more accurately than current methods. The jacket measures a person’s temperature and breathing rate and compares it to a database of parameters, improving the situation in a country where the disease is often misdiagnosed.
A heart diagnostic system for rural Malawi
Built from discarded electronics, the IHMMS is a low-cost wireless cardio-diagnostic system that uses a built-in electrograph and digital stethoscope to measure and monitor the heart. Created by 22-year-old Malawian Sanga Kathema, it is his hope that it will be used within the rural population of his country, which makes up 83 percent of the population, according to ScienceService.
An app that gives people access to specialist doctors
This revolutionary South African app provides African users with access to specialist doctors, which is incredibly useful with regards to rural areas where specialists are not often available. By uploading images and information via the app, the user receives diagnostic feedback from specialists, with eight medical specialities currently on offer.
Software that assists in diagnosis
Zimbabwean Gift Gana has created Dr CADx, a software solution that assists doctors and healthcare workers to interpret and diagnose medical images more accurately and efficiently, according to DisruptAfrica. Radiologists are not in plentiful supply throughout Africa, especially in rural areas, so Dr CADx uses deep learning to interpret medical images accurately in order to assist doctors in general.
Testing for numerous infections using a single test
Dougbeh-Chris Nyan of Liberia has developed a potential medical game-changer. This rapid diagnostic test can detect at least three to seven infections at the same time within 10 to 40 minutes, as opposed to a few days in most current cases, enabling quicker diagnosis and treatment of the infections.
Low-tech rapid diagnostic testing
Developed by Nigerian Olanisun Olufemi Adewole, the Sweat TB Test is a non-invasive rapid diagnostic test that detects tuberculosis (TB). This fairly low-tech method makes diagnosing one of the most deceptive medical conditions far easier, within 10 minutes of doing the test, allowing for more rapid treatment, according to Konbini.
Machine learning to analyze a baby’s cry
Nigerian artificial intelligence health startup Ubenwa Intelligence Solutions has developed a machine learning system that can analyze the amplitude and frequency patterns of a baby’s cry to provide an immediate diagnosis of birth asphyxia. A major cause of death in new-born babies worldwide, this method could be revolutionary in early diagnosis.
A device to keep heart health in check in rural communities
Invented by young Cameroonian engineer, Arthur Zang, the CardioPad is a touch-screen medical tablet that measures important information like rhythmic contraction and expansion of the heart, and produces graphs that are wirelessly transmitted to cardio specialists to analyze. This pad can save people hundreds of dollars in transportation costs. It helps avoid the need to travel to visit a specialist for routine labwork.