Ugandan App for Pain-Free Malaria Test

Kampala — In his 21 years Brian Gitta has had malaria too many times to count. And over the years, because of the numerous times he has had to have his blood drawn to test for the disease, he has developed a fear of needles. It is little wonder then that he and three of his fellow computer science students worked hard to develop a mobile phone app that detects malaria - without the use of needles.

"I was two or three years old when I first contracted it," says Gitta, who is studying computer science at Makerere University in Kampala.

"It's very unusual to meet people in Uganda who haven't had malaria. If you go to a clinic, you might find that 90 percent of patients have it."

Annually an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Ugandans die from the tropical disease, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitos carrying the malaria parasite. That makes it the country's biggest killer, according to the NGO Malaria Consortium Uganda. Experts say nearly half (about 42 percent) of Uganda's 34.5 million people are host to the malaria parasite, although they do not display any signs of being ill.

Gitta's most recent bout of malaria, just before Christmas in 2012, was severe. He contracted brucellosis, an infectious disease contracted by the consumption of unsterilised milk or meat, and typhoid at the same time and had to be hospitalised for a month.

"I had to undergo lots of blood tests. I was in lots of pain and the doctor's queue was long," he says.

Gitta was bedridden during his convalescence, and during that time he had a light bulb moment. He imagined a "mobile medical centre" that offered a quicker and pain-free diagnosis without needles and pricks. Gitta envisaged using a small device for this - but it was a big vision.

But as soon as he recovered he set to work on realising it.

And this July in St Petersburg, Russia, Gitta, Joshua Businge, Simon Lubambo and Josiah Kavuma, known as team Code 8, were announced the winners of the inaugural Women's Empowerment Award at Microsoft's global student software competition, Imagine Cup. The all-male group was recognised for their development of an application that they call Matibabu, Swahili for medical centre.

In Uganda, malaria is diagnosed via either the microscopic examination of blood films or a rapid diagnostic test.

The microscopic diagnosis usually takes about 30 minutes or longer and requires a lab technologist. It is considered the "gold standard" of testing, as it is the most reliable method. It reveals the presence or absence of the parasite in the blood, the parasite species and the extent to which they have multiplied in the body.

However, a rapid diagnostic test can be done anywhere and without a qualified microscopist. It usually takes about 15 minutes to get the results, though it cannot show the number of parasites as a microscopic diagnosis does.

Matibabu uses a custom-made portable device called a matiscope, which is connected to a smartphone, to do a rapid diagnostic test. The user's finger is inserted into the matiscope, and the application uses a red light to penetrate the skin and detect the red blood cells.

"It's been shown that infected red blood cells have a different physical, chemical and biomedical structure from a normal red blood cell, hence [we] used light-scattering technology to determine the scatter patterns of both normal and infected cells," Kavuma tells IPS.

"Through the difference in the patterns, the app is able to diagnose for malaria without a blood sample."

The hardware has a light-emitting diode and a light sensor, and it transmits the test results to the user's phone for processing.

Matibabu then sends the results to the Microsoft file hosting service, Skydrive, and these can be shared with the patient's doctor almost immediately, preventing the long delay in getting results.

Code 8 says that Matibabu, which can currently only be used with the Windows phone operating system, will help pregnant women in particular. According to the World Health Organisation, half the world's population is susceptible to malaria. Pregnant women, young children and people living with HIV/AIDS are especially vulnerable.

"When a pregnant woman gets malaria it affects the baby," Lubambo tells IPS. "But if it's able to be detected very early it could reduce miscarriages."

However, the team hopes to have Android and other OS versions by mid-2014. They say when they begin introducing other versions for different platforms, they may start using file hosting services, like Dropbox, to store the results.

The students hope their device will be on the market within two years and say the application will be free to download. The hardware may cost between 20 and 35 dollars. The young developers concede that this is a lot of money for many Ugandans.

Currently, in Uganda's private health sector both the microscopic diagnosis and the rapid diagnostic test cost under five dollars, Dr Jane Achan, professor at the department of paediatrics and child health at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences tells IPS.

Malaria affects mostly rural dwellers, she says, adding that in Apach district, northern Uganda, a patient receives over 1,500 infected mosquito bites a year. These people may not have access to smartphones.

"The urban settings are already a little more advantaged in that their health facilities are more accessible, they have more doctors and they have more accessible diagnostic facilities," Achan explains. "At the end of the day this app has to be compared with what is existing and available."

Moses Kizito is the director of private SAS Clinic in Kampala, where they test no less than 50 patients a day for malaria and receive eight to 10 positive results.

He says at the moment Matibabu seemed "quite expensive" but in the long run it may prove economical.

"Once people are forced to go to the clinic [with malaria] it's expensive to manage the disease," Kizito tells IPS.

"With this test people may be able to avoid a doctor's consultation and treat malaria in its early stages before it causes anaemia and brain damage. Once this app comes out, the impact's going to be great."

Kavuma says that Microsoft has offered the group mentoring and business training, but they are considering other options to market and manufacture the product.

"We are planning on contacting Chinese companies for this," he says.

Gitta hopes other diseases can be diagnosed in a similar way. "The future is bright and anything can happen... ," he says. "Let's watch out for the next great thing."

Robert Mugabe delivers Zimbabwe attack on MDC rivals

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe: "We are delivering democracy on a platter... we say take it or leave it"

Robert Mugabe has launched a stinging attack on his opposition rivals in his first public speech since he won Zimbabwe's disputed presidential election.

Rejecting PM Morgan Tsvangirai's claims that the vote was stolen, he said those against him could "go hang".

Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) boycotted the speech.

The MDC has lodged a legal challenge against the result of the "stolen election", demanding it be rerun.

Mr Mugabe won 61% of the vote in the election on 31 July, while Mr Tsvangirai came second with 35% and Welshman Ncube third with 3%, according to official results.

The president's Zanu-PF party also gained a parliamentary majority of more than two-thirds, winning 160 of the 210 seats.

In his Heroes' Day speech, which dealt with a series of national issues, Mr Mugabe focused at one point on his election victory and called for celebrations.

"Those who lost elections may commit suicide if they so wish. Even if they die, dogs will not sniff their corpses," he said.

"We are delivering democracy on a platter. We say take it or leave it, but the people have delivered democracy."

Zimbabwe's Western detractors had been "put to shame", he added. "Never will we go back on our victory."

Non-governmental organisations had been used to rig elections in 2008, he claimed, but Zanu-PF had never stopped planning since then and had "buried thieves in our midst".

"We found we were dining with and sharing our bed with thieves. We will never give thieves the power to rule."

Mr Mugabe's main rival Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of the 2008 presidential vote, but official results said he had failed to win outright.

He later pulled out of the second round because of attacks on his supporters, and eventually a power-sharing agreement was worked out.

Deep rifts

Heroes' Day is Zimbabwe's proud annual celebration, when the country remembers those who died during the 1970s fight for independence, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Johannesburg.

Mr Mugabe was speaking at National Heroes' Acre, the monument in the capital where some of those killed are buried.

Mr Tsvangirai earlier called for calm, saying there was no national celebration for the day but rather "a nation in mourning".

In a statement, published by the NewsDay newspaper, Mr Tsvangirai said the majority of Zimbabweans were "still shocked at the brazen manner in which their vote was stolen".

"We must all remain calm as we celebrate Heroes' Day. I know that we will always be a heroic people."

The MDC's boycott of the national commemoration has exposed the deep rifts at the heart of this troubled country, our correspondent says.

Mr Mugabe has not yet been sworn in for a seventh consecutive term, since the appeal is ongoing. He maintains that he and Zanu-PF won free and fair elections.

The MDC has said it has "strong evidence of electoral irregularities", including bribery, abuse of "assisted voting", and manipulation of the electoral roll.

African and regional monitors praised the poll for being peaceful but noted some irregularities.

But a local observer group, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) and its network of 7,000 observers, said that about one million voters - mainly in urban areas - were "systematically disenfranchised" by being omitted from the voters' roll or turned away.

The nine-member Constitutional Court is expected to discuss the complaint this week. It has up to two weeks to deliver its verdict.

But with several judges being supporters of Mr Mugabe, our correspondent says few expect the MDC challenge to bear fruit.

In a separate development on Sunday, state radio reported that the ministry of mines had denied a report in the Times newspaper that it had agreed to sell Iran uranium for its nuclear programme.

A ministry statement was quoted as stressing that the report was "a malicious and blatant lie", and that no export licences had been issued.

Iran's foreign minister has also denied the report.

Guinea Bissau: Arrest of Guinea-Bissau's Drug Lords Just the First Step in the Battle Against Trafficking

ANALYSIS

No other African country provides a better setting for a fast-paced crime thriller than Guinea-Bissau. The spectacular capture at sea of the former head of Guinea-Bissau's navy, José Américo Bubo Na Tchuto, by the United States (US) navy in April this year was another reminder that fact is stranger than fiction in this country - notorious for being West Africa's drug capital. Cocaine trafficking here has an estimated market value of $4,3 billion a year.

But apart from its spectator value, one has to ask what the sting operation led by the US Drug Enforcement Agency means for Guinea-Bissau's future.Recently, the country's interim leader President Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo announced that the long-overdue elections would be held on 24 November this year - the first elections since a military coup in April 2012. Building on the recent successful arrests, everything possible should be done to ensure that these elections are not tainted by drug money.

In order for the operation against the drug lords to have a lasting and positive effect on stability, democratic governance and the rule of law in Guinea Bissau and in West Africa more broadly, Na Tchuto's trial, which began in the US this week, needs to be emphasised as a deterrent and followed up with a sustained effort to improve the country's criminal justice system. If not, an opportunity will be wasted to see long-term benefits from this dramatic external intervention. On the contrary, the arrests might destabilise power relations and lead to more violence.

The capture of Na Tchuto and six accomplices, as well as the indictment against General Antonio Indjai, head of the armed forces, is certainly a victory for law enforcement. It may also mean the end of an era of impunity in the region. Both men are charged with drug trafficking and the purchase of surface-to-air missiles and AK47 assault rifles with grenade launchers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) insurgency. The main problem with these arrests is that outsiders were responsible for them and Na Tchuto is now being tried by the New York District Court. This undermines due process in Guinea Bissau and has been met with nationalistic indignation in some circles. The military, not surprisingly, feels threatened and betrayed.

Clearly, it would have been preferable if Na Tchuto and his accomplices were tried and imprisoned on national soil. However, years of turmoil have left Guinea-Bissau's judiciary in tatters. Since the latest coup, high-ranking officials like Indjai have vetted all political and judicial appointments, ruling out any credible due process. Guinea-Bissau has also been plagued by political assassinations in recent years, including that of former president João Bernardo 'Nino' Vieira in March 2009. None of these acts - often linked to the cocaine trade - has ever been seriously investigated. The Guinea-Bissau League of Human Rights remarked in a 2012 press release that 'citizens are denied the fundamental right of access to justice due to the failure of the state to fulfil its constitutional obligations'.

A possible solution could be to try drug traffickers in the region. This could be modelled on the international response to piracy in West Africa, where pirates are tried in neighbouring countries. This option has been discussed in the past and a majority of the members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are in favour of such a move.

In the short term, the 2 April sting operation could, paradoxically, increase the possibility of violence. A lesson learned from Latin America is that the key driver of violence is not cocaine as such, but change: change in the negotiated power relations between and within groups, and with the state. It is clear that if Na Tchuto and Indjai are successfully unseated it will destabilise a longstanding balance of power, linked to control of territory along ethnic and clan lines.Until now Guinea-Bissau has been relatively free from clan-, community- and gang-related violence and people do not see drug trafficking as directly impacting on their own sense of security. This might now change.

Some citizens also fear military retaliation or another coup, following the arrest of the drug lords. To allow this to happen on the eve of the elections, and because of a much-needed law enforcement intervention, would be a crying shame.

To help Guinea-Bissau break the vicious cycle of political fragility the international community can use this opportunity to highlight that impunity for drug trafficking and organised crime has now ended in West Africa. It should work with the region to make sure the upcoming elections go ahead and are not influenced by criminal actors, and continue to support the work of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS). It should support efforts to strengthen the criminal justice system and help the country establish a broad-based rule of law and legal empowerment framework.

Finally, it could consider setting up an internationally sponsored mechanism - perhaps similar to the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The aim will be to provide integrity to regionally or nationally led criminal justice proceedings against crimes committed in Guinea-Bissau, such as drug trafficking and violations of human rights.

A serious commitment is needed to strengthen the criminal justice system in Guinea-Bissau and to build citizens' confidence that the state has the capacity to deliver justice and uphold the rule of law. Elections are a perfect opportunity to hold the candidates, and thus the potential future government, to account for building more robust measures to counter organised crime and impunity. The international community can and should help in this process in preparation for the elections.

This article is based on an ISS Policy Brief, 'The end of impunity? After the kingpins, what next for Guinea-Bissau?'.

Tuesday Reitano and Mark Shaw, senior research associates, Institute for Security Studies and STATT Consulting, Hong Kong. Edited by Liesl Louw, ISS consultant

Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Broke the Law, Says Opposition MDC

MDC-T President Morgan Tsvangirai addressing a rally before polls.

The spokesman for Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says his group has evidence that senior ZANU-PF officials including the first lady contravened the constitution as well as the electoral laws in the run up to the July 31st general election.

"There is evidence that President Mugabe for example was dolling out gifts; teacups as well as teapots and so on, to supporters in return to votes. His wife was giving food stuffs and is on television and video," said MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.

He says the constitution as well as the country's electoral law outlaws gift giving during elections.

Mwonzora says interim reports from both the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) poll observer groups support the MDC's stance that the elections were not credible.

"In fact the reports of the African Union and SADC have actually made our case even stronger. In terms of their report the election was peaceful and free, but it was not fair," said Mwonzora. "Our constitution is very clear that an election must be peaceful and free and fair. We have presented to them our dossier of the malpractices of this election."

The main opposition party filed a petition last Friday challenging the electoral victory of President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF parliamentary majority win.

"The MDC is challenging principally on 15 grounds; the deposition of the voters role, disenfranchisement of the people of Zimbabwe as well as intimidation, and in some instances violence," said Mwonzora.

Both the AU and the SADC poll observers described the Zimbabwe elections are free and peaceful. But while the AU said the general election was peaceful and harmonized, the SADC stopped short of calling it fair.

Mwonzora's comments came after the MDC petitioned the constitutional court seeking to nullify the re-election of President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF parliamentary majority win.

The constitutional court has to rule within 14 days after the petition was filed, according to the constitution.

"The chief justice will call the lawyers [this] week from both sides to see how this matter can be dealt with because it involves a lot of evidence," said Mwonzora.

Citing the constitution, analysts, say it is unlikely Mr. Mugabe as well as members of parliament would be installed until the court hands down its ruling within the stipulated period.

"The MDC is not perturbed by the injustice of this case. We are saying we are putting this information to the court as well as to the public. But we are saying to the court that we want to see how unjust you can be," said Mwonzora.

Some Zimbabweans say the prospects of the court challenge look bleak claiming the court and other state institutions including the security agencies are Mugabe sympathizers.

"We are aware of the odds against us but in this particular case the persons on trial are not the MDC, it is Robert Mugabe, the courts, the Zimbabwe electoral authorities. So what we are doing is we are putting before them insurmountable evidence and saying to them act in terms of the law," said Mwonzora.

UK aid supplies lost to Somali militants

In February 2012, al-Shabab released a video with al-Qaeda, announcing the groups had merged

Humanitarian aid supplies worth £480,000 - funded by UK taxpayers - were seized by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia, it has emerged.

Supplies were in warehouses captured in a raid by al-Shabab in November 2011, the Department for International Development's (DfID) accounts reveal.

DfID would not specify what those supplies included. It said all material was destroyed in the raid or later.

A DfID spokesman said working in "fragile states carries inherent risk".

The department's annual accounts said the £480,000 was written off "following the theft between November 2011 and February 2012, by al-Shabab in southern Somalia, of DfID-funded humanitarian materials and supplies from the offices and warehouses of partner organisations, to which DfID had provided funding to deliver projects and programmes".

The accounts said DfID's partners had "no prior warning of the confiscations being carried out and therefore had no time to prevent the loss by relocating goods".

And they added: "DfID continues to work with its partner organisations to ensure that risks like this are identified and that the organisations take appropriate action.

"This can include putting effective controls in place, where possible, to mitigate and/or eliminate such risks which reduce the effectiveness of our aid."

A department spokesman said: "DfID works in some of the most dangerous places in the world, including Somalia, because tackling the root causes of poverty and instability there ensures a safer world and a safer UK.

"Working in conflict-affected and fragile states carries inherent risk."

He said DfID did all it could "to mitigate against this but, on occasion, losses will occur".

"We work with our partners to design programmes that protect our investment from misuse or theft."

Mali votes in presidential election run-off

The UN has stressed the importance of the presidential election 

People in Mali are voting in a presidential election run-off.

Many expect Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who won 40% of the vote in the first round, to defeat ex-Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse.

The election follows more than a year of turmoil which included a coup and a French-led military intervention to oust Islamist rebels from the north.

The victor will oversee more than $4bn (£2.6bn) in foreign aid promised to rebuild the West African state.

A 12,600-strong United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma) is currently deploying, as France begins to withdraw its 3,000 troops.

The UN has stressed the importance of the election to the restoration of constitutional order and the start of national dialogue and reconciliation.

Peace talks

A record 49% of the 6.8 million registered voters cast a ballot in first round on 28 July.

Mr Cisse, who was second among the 27 candidates with 19.7% of the vote, complained that there was widespread fraud, with more than 400,000 ballots declared spoiled.

However, Mali's Constitutional Court rejected the allegations and the head of the EU election observer mission, Louis Michel, praised the electoral process for its transparency.

Ahead of Sunday's second round, for which some 21,000 polling stations opened across Mali at 08:00 GMT, Mr Michel said he had been "positively surprised" by preparations.

Mr Keita - who is popularly known by his initials, "IBK" - has urged voters to give him what he called a "clear and clean" majority in the run-off.

"My first priority would be the reconciliation of the country. After the trauma that it has suffered, a new start is needed," he told reporters on Saturday.

But Mr Keita also said he would be pursuing "a real peace... not a false one".

The 68-year-old has the support of influential moderate Islamic leaders, and 22 of the 25 losing first-round candidates have given him their backing.

Mr Cisse, 63, has run on pledges to improve education, create jobs and reform the army. He has been more openly critical of the leaders of last year's military coup than Mr Keita.

"I am confident, because it is not about adding to the votes from the first round, there will be new votes, it is a new election," he told the AFP news agency on Saturday. "Everything restarts from zero."

The BBC's Mike Wooldridge says a ceasefire that is allowing voting to take place in northern Mali also obliges a new government to open peace talks with the separatist Tuareg rebels within two months.

Much is therefore at stake in the election, not least its potential to unlock billions of dollars in aid promised by international donors, he adds.

Ennahda supporters gather in Tunis for rally

The ruling Islamist Ennahda party has rejected opposition calls for the government to step down

Thousands of Tunisians have gathered in a central square in the capital Tunis to back the ruling Islamist Ennahda party.

The party organised the rally in Kasbah square in support of what it termed its "legitimacy to govern".

Government opponents were planning to hold a counter protest, calling for Ennahda to quit after the second murder of an opposition figure this year.

PM Ali Larayedh earlier appealed for calm but said he would not step down.

The government has faced street protests after the 25 July killing of left-wing MP Mohamed Brahmi, the leader of the small left-wing Popular Movement party. In February, prominent secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid was also assassinated.

In addition to the social unrest, Tunisia has also been fighting a rise in religious extremism.

Armed forces launched an offensive against Islamist militants near the Algerian border on Friday after suspected al-Qaeda gunmen ambushed and killed eight soldiers.

'National unity'

Protesters gathered in Kasbah square have been chanting "We defend the legitimacy of the government" and "Ennahda will not back down," the BBC's Ahmed Maher reports from Tunis.

There is heavy police presence in the square and security is tight, our correspondent adds.

Meanwhile opposition groups were said to be preparing for a counter-rally outside the Constituent Assembly in the capital.

"Tunisia is in need of national unity," Mr Larayedh said earlier.

"I call for calm so that the army and security forces can combat terrorism and not waste its efforts on protests."

The prime minister held talks on Saturday with various political groups to address the political and security crises.

Earlier this week, Education Minister Salem Labyedh was forced to resign over the killing of Mr Brahmi. The government blamed Salafist hardliners for the murder.

Tunisia is the birthplace of the Arab Spring, but it has been in turmoil since the overthrow of long-serving ruler President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

The secular Ettakatol party has called for the Ennadah-led coalition to step down because of the tensions following the killing of Mohamed Brahmi,

But Mr Larayedh has vowed the government will fulfil its mandate and hold elections in December.