New Smartphone App to Detect HIV, Syphilis

With a aim of taking mhealth to another level with the deployment of apps for diagnostic purposed, a smartphone accessory that can detect HIV and syphilis has been developed by Columbia University researchers in New York.

The smartphone app is paired with a device attached dongle which can also be attached to a computer in place of your mobile device.

The device - called a dongle - is small and light enough to fit into a hand, uses little power and will cost about $34 to make, according to the researchers. The smartphone ELISA is also revolutionary in terms of cost.

Researchers first tested the app in Rwanda, a location where HIV is very common and oftentimes passed from mother-to-child. The health care workers were given 30 minutes of training on the device, and 97 percent of the patients had a positive response to the device.

Would you be willing to take an HIV and syphilis test from the comfort of your own smartphone?