Mobile phones may diagnose STDs

Mobile Phones may Diagnose STDs

There are many applications that phones have in today’s society, but is it possible to have an application that dictates to you whether or not you have a Sexually Transmitted Disease? People can self diagnose if they have an STD like HIV or syphilis by using computer chips that connect to mobile phones. The ESTI2 project is developing small chips that people would have to either put urine or put saliva on and then connect it to a person’s Smartphone. It's possible that a Smartphone application would be able to tell a person if they'd tested positive or negative for a particular STD in 5 to 15 minutes says Tariq Sadiq, who is the manager to the projects development. This project is geared toward having people become more aware of their health with STD’s. It is bringing the diagnosis to the people, and making people feel more comfortable then having to go to a hospital or clinic to have tests. The idea of having these chips on sale to the public would not be until seven to ten years from now. However, the hope coming from the Electronic Self-Testing Instruments for Sexually Transmitted Infections group is that this on-the-go STD testing will be accurate, affordable, costing only $3.00 to buy, and safe for the public to use.

With the growing rate of people having STD’s, the process that comes with testing and the wait of time for testing turns many people off to the idea of getting tested. The convenience and privacy of having your Smartphone tell you what health problems you may have will lead to more people getting tested. With this testing though, there are several risks involved, including that of being secure and accurate. There has been HIV saliva tests in the past that were used, but were not accurate. This project does not want people to believe they have an STD, unless they actually do have one. Looking at the technology point of this, the Smartphone will only process the results that it is given by the chips. The testing chips require most of the development and will configure all of the testing. The on-the-go testing method would allow for the chips to only be used once, after that they would be thrown away and discarded. Once the chips have the proper technology, this project can be sent to the developing World and lead to cheaper and faster ways to diagnose HIV, Malaria, Hepatitis and other diseases.

There are pros and cons to making these chips that can attach to my mobile Smartphone. The number one pro is its convenience. As a college student, many kids fear of obtaining an STD. With this technology, you can buy a chip for $3.00 and then take this test in the privacy of your dorm room. If it’s positive, then you can go to the hospital and receive medical attention, if its negative then no one knows and you feel like nothing ever happened. The number one negative aspect to this is at this primary stage how accurate will this home testing be. Many women have taken home pregnancy tests and some rely on just one test, but others feel the need to buy several to rely on the accuracy of the test results. Its interesting how my phone, which I use for talking, taking pictures, watch video, GPS, listen to music, and basically anything, will in the near future be able to calculate if I am healthy and clean or not.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/11/09/diseases.mobile.phone/index.html