An Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based app is being developed to enhance malaria testing as part of the government’s efforts to eradicate the disease in Guyana.
Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, announced the initiative at the launch of the Universal Healthcare Voucher held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Liliendaal last Saturday.
Dr Anthony highlighted that the project is being executed in collaboration with Harvard University.
The app, which has already been tested in Region Nine with a 99 per cent accuracy rate, is designed to detect the infectious disease, which is prevalent in the region.
Once fully operational, Dr Anthony expressed optimism that the application will be adopted to assist other malaria-affected countries.
“We are hoping that once we gather more test results, what we have developed and piloted here in Guyana can now be used in other parts of the world where malaria is present,” he stated.
In 2024, the Ministry of Health launched the Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) mass distribution campaign across several regions as part of ongoing efforts to reduce malaria cases.
Thousands of insecticide-treated nets have been distributed to malaria-affected areas in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine. Additionally, continuous training programmes are being conducted to combat the disease in remote mining communities.
