Have you ever wondered if there isn’t a safer, less inconvenient way of getting tested for Malaria fever besides the old way of getting pricked for a sample of your blood? As we say, there is an app for that, and it goes by the Swahili name, Matibabu. With Matibabu mobile app, you can say goodbye to needles when testing for Malaria.
Matibabu mobile app is part of a kit that includes a finger clip housing a light scanner. How does the kit work? You put your finger in the clip, and it beams a red light through your finger to detect changes in the colour, concentration and shape of your red blood cells. Using the information retrieved from the scan, the mobile app gives you a diagnosis.
How long does the whole test take? Just one minute.
Other Features of Matibabu Mobile App
- it provides information about how to prevent malaria infection.
- the app claims to produce sounds that chase away mosquitoes, similar to what the LG K7i smartphone claims to do (although research says high-frequency sounds do not actually work in repelling mosquitoes).
- it registers the location of the test via GPS.
- it lets users upload information to the Cloud.
Faster, Safer, Cheaper
Matibabu is still undergoing health regulatory approval and so Matibabu mobile app is not yet available to the public, but this is good stuff, no? If this makes it to commercial production, it will change the dynamics around Malaria diagnosis in Africa. Why? It is fast, non-invasive and so safe, as well as pocket-friendly, seeing that it is reusable. The defacto method requires a syringe or needle, which have to be discarded immediately after use.
Another interesting piece of information is that the entire bloodless Malaria test kit was developed by a group of Ugandan students in their early twenties. Amen to mobile innovation in Africa.
Colour me impressed. You can read some more about this non-invasive malaria diagnosis kit and the story behind it for a more complete picture.
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