Africa: Smartphones Used to Detect Parasitic Worms

Nairobi — A smartphone, a strip of double-sided tape and a simple glass lens could have a significant impact on the diagnosis of intestinal parasites that affect millions in remote, rural parts of the world, where even the most basic medical testing is hard to come by.

A recent, proof-of-concept study in rural Tanzania compared the effectiveness of a lens attached to an iPhone with the effectiveness of a standard light microscope in searching for roundworm and hookworm eggs in 199 children's stool samples.

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