Smart jacket assists fast and accurate pneumonia diagnosis

African project is developing a biomedical device for early diagnosis and continued monitoring of pneumonia in children

Pneumonia is commonly misdiagnosed with malaria, asthma and tuberculosis. These diseases have vital signs in common and there is need to clearly differentiate them. Lack of a clear differentiation between viral and bacterial pneumonia during diagnosis leads to wrong administration of drugs that creates resistance. After the misdiagnosis and death of an innovator’s grandmother, she and her team created MamaOpe, the biomedical jacket that assists with fast and precise diagnosis.

Currently a prototype, the MamaOpe jacket works by a patient wearing the item for it to monitor their temperature, breathing rate and sound of the lungs. It is hoped the device could help correct diagnosis of pneumonia is sub-Saharan Africa, and the jacket has even been shortlisted for this year’s GBP 25,000 Africa prize for engineering innovation. The vest was specifically designed for children 0 to 5 years who are most prone to the disease (hence the name ‘Hope for the Mother’).

Technology is assisting those in third world countries better than ever before, with an AI app that diagnoses crop diseases and alert farmers via text and a solar-powered MP3 player that helps educate women in such countries both contributing positively to African communities. How could you contribute to helping those in need?