India's burgeoning efforts to reduce its deadly malaria burden has a new ally in a University of Canberra-led project using artificial intelligence to try to better and more quickly detect the tropical parasitic disease.
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The project, aiming to create a detection system which specifically helps India's most affected remote and rural areas and picks up parasitic mutations, is one of nine projects being funded by the Australia-India Council (AIC) grants program for 2021-2022. It will be announced on Monday by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Over the past few years, India has made considerable progress in reducing its incidence of malaria, although detection remains difficult in rural areas which can impede diagnosis and treatment.
The university's Professor Girjia Chetty has told The Canberra Times the technology is quite developed and it is hoped a prototype based on AI algorithms can be deployed within a year.
"We can test it right at the village health centres where the patients can come in and get tested," the professor said.
"That is a significant gap in terms of being able to have affordable technology for deployment in a low cost, rural setting which is what we're trying to achieve.
"In many countries especially in the rural settings in developing countries like India and Africa Malaria is still an epidemic."
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It comes as the South Asian nation marks 75 years of independence and the council celebrates its 30th birthday.
"India is a great friend of Australia's and the AIC is a key part of that - working to build understanding between the people and institutions of our two countries for 30 years," Senator Wong said in a statement.
"The AIC's funding will boost the University of Canberra's research into developing a method of malaria detection and treatment in rural areas of India which is critical to fighting the disease and saving lives."
It is hoped, once proven and successful in the field, the proposed technology could be used for other diseases and regions.
The South Asian nation has a vision of a malaria free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030.
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Karen Barlow
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
