The potential for new technology to assist in combating tuberculosis has been ignited by a program utilizing artificial intelligence to screen individuals in high-security Mozambican prisons for the disease.
TB, ranked as the second most fatal communicable disease globally following COVID, thrives in overcrowded prison settings, as highlighted by the World Health Organization. Mozambique, with a population of 32 million, reported 120,000 infections last year alone.
In 2022, TB afflicted over 10 million individuals and claimed the lives of 1.3 million, with the lungs being the most commonly affected organ.
The following month, nearly one in four infections in Africa were documented.
Within the expansive courtyard of Maputo’s premier security prison, an inmate clad in an orange T-shirt stood before a camera, holding a cutting-edge white tablet. Positioned behind him was a doctor inspecting a state-of-the-art compact X-ray machine linked to an AI program, heralded as a breakthrough in the fight against tuberculosis.
The doctor explained, “The AI processes the data in real-time, providing results in under five minutes.”
A technician’s image seated at a table within an adjacent health tent accompanied the diagnosis.
The software is undergoing a crucial trial run in testing every prisoner across three Maputo penitentiaries. Funding for this initiative is being provided by the Stop TB Partnership, a UN-supported entity.
Early detection is vital to curbing the spread of the disease and saving lives.
Despite the absence of symptoms, individuals can harbor TB, with a persistent cough being a common indicator. Due to close quarters and airborne transmission, prisons serve as ideal environments for disease propagation.
Conventional TB tests involving bodily fluids necessitate laboratory visits, with results often taking up to three days to be processed. The quickest turnaround for reliable outcomes is 24 hours.
“A Remarkable Technological Leap.”
Suvanand Sahu, Deputy Head of Stop TB, lauded the integration of AI with portable X-ray devices for its efficiency in obviating the need for clinic visits, especially in underserved rural regions.
This technological leap marks a significant milestone, he emphasized.
Prisoners testing positive are secluded in a quarantine section within the Maputo Provincial Penitentiary.
Amidst the facility, around a hundred inmates don face masks while seated on mattresses strewn across the floor. A makeshift clothesline suspended between two weathered blue columns serves to deliver essentials like clothing and blankets.
Severe cases are transferred to a clinical hospital.
The UN projects a 50% overcapacity in Mozambique’s prisons by 2022.
Kennet Fortune, a ten-year inmate for drug-related offenses, pointed towards the prison garden, remarking, “It’s tough watching friends stroll and play out there, but I must acknowledge my illness.”
Currently undergoing treatment that may extend for years, he remains hopeful for his eventual release.
WHO’s latest report indicates a decline in global tuberculosis-related fatalities in 2022, signaling progress in combatting the disease.
With TB diagnoses hitting a record 7.5 million in 2022, the highest since data tracking began in 1995, Sahu of Stop TB believes the success of aerial initiatives could pave the way for increased AI utilization in tuberculosis detection.
Reflecting on the past, the notion of conducting X-rays across all regions read by AI without pharmacist intervention might have seemed far-fetched.
