Stellenbosch University researchers developing mobile app to detect TB cough
According to the university the innovative tool will be able to detect patients that need further examination to fast track TB diagnosis.
FILE: A digitally colourised scanning electron microscopic image depicts a grouping of red-coloured, rod-shaped Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria which cause tuberculosis in human beings. Picture: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
CAPE TOWN - Stellenbosch University researchers are developing a mobile app that will be able to detect a cough caused by tuberculosis (TB).
According to the university, the innovative tool will be able to detect patients that need further examination to fast-track TB diagnosis.
The institution said the mobile-based TB and cough detector will be able to conduct tests without collecting a specimen.
According to the university, the app will be affordable as it's focused on serving low-income communities.
It adds that TB is the deadliest disease in South Africa and many patients remain undiagnosed because of outdated screening models.
Stellenbosch said that it had achieved a proof-of-concept and a prototype had been developed and successfully tested in a small-scale laboratory environment.