When 43-year-old teacher, Ronald Mukasa, felt weak and began vomiting in June, he went to the hospital in Uganda where lab technicians ran a malaria rapid diagnostic test, or RDT. The most common way of detecting the country’s biggest killer involves a small blood sample being collected, typically through a finger prick, and detecting specific antigens.
His test results were negative. But when Mukasa’s symptoms worsened, he was forced to go back to the hospital for a blood smear test using a microscope — known as the “gold standard” for malaria detection — which returned positive results. He was then given the right medicine.
While at the lab, though, he witnessed a pilot study involving malaria being diagnosed using a smartphone — with the help of artificial intelligence.
About the author
Amy Fallon@amyfallon
Amy Fallon is an Australian freelance journalist currently based in Uganda. She has also reported from Australia, the U.K. and Asia, writing for a wide range of outlets on a variety of issues including breaking news, and international development, and human rights topics. Amy has also worked for News Deeply, NPR, The Guardian, AFP news agency, IPS, Citiscope, and others.
