In a generation where everything has a linkage to IT, we are surely destined to solve a number of life-threatening uncertainties. Today computer applications have been developed now and then to solve the enigma behind puzzles and this has stretched as far as salvaging the best for a better health.
Another stroll to the ‘hill of the learned’ Makerere University, the ‘Hotbed of Innovation’, will leave you mesmerised by the tremendous effort a team of six fine ladies are fielding into battling bacterial vaginosis in fellow women.
Bacterial Vaginosis is an abnormal vaginal condition that is characterized by vaginal discharge and results from an overgrowth of a typical bacteria in the vagina. Treatment options for bacterial vaginosis include prescription oral antibiotics and vaginal gels. Serious complications of bacterial vaginosis can occur during pregnancy and recurrence is possible even after successful treatment.
In a bid to have all fellow women of all age groups to be able to self-test for bacterial vaginosis and know the health status in their vaginas, six girls teamed up to develop an app called the BVKIT that will enable women to be able to test and get early treatment for bacterial vaginosis.
To many girls, the myth that lies behind an itching vagina is that it’s sex is in the calling. However, this may not be the case because many women with bacterial vaginosis may not fully realize that they have it until they start witnessing symptoms such as vaginal discharge that is usually thin and grayish white, vaginal odor (foul-smelling or unpleasant fishy odor) & a vaginal discharge and odor which is often more noticeable after sexual intercourse.
The six ladies from Makerere University who are the sole brains behind Her Health Uganda and the BVKIT are Bridget Mendoza a second year studying Electrical engineering who also doubles as the team’s hardware specialist, Margaret Nanyombi a third year student studying Information Technology who is a business lead and marketer, Esther Ndagire who is the project coordinator, Jackeline Namanda who is the UI/UX specialist, Pauline Nairuba who is in charge of the team’s research and Winfred Nafula the team secretary.
Together, they sat down and came up with a possible remedy to salvage the best and try as much as possible to fight Bacterial Vaginosis which gave birth to the BVKIT Her Health Uganda
The idea behind the BVKIT app is to have women of all age groups to be able to self-test for bacterial vaginosis and know the health status in their vaginas. The app hardware and software should enable the woman to take a sample of her urine and measuring its PH with the hardware. She should then be able to receive her results and recommendations from the software on her phone. The application also has a website where the user can find more information about the condition and its signs and symptoms.
Team code gurus with the BV kit solution
BV Kit is a self-test mobile application which is the Vaginosis application that works with hardware with an embedded PH sensor to help women test for unhealthy vaginal bacteria as regularly as possible.
The woman carries out the test by collecting a urine sample in clean pee cup, places the PH sensor unit in urine sample which picks the PH values of the urine and send them to the Vaginosis application using Bluetooth. The Vaginosis application reads the values and gives a diagnosis whether the woman has healthy or unhealthy bacteria. It further gives possible signs and symptoms if they are sick and where they can find a doctor.
The plan is to make the BV kit available and as affordable as possible to all women. The mobile application that is used with the kit will be free to download and use. This should encourage the women to acquire one and be able to test their vaginal health regularly and ensure that everything is normal.
Her Health Uganda is also a Non-Profit Organisation like Reproductive Health Uganda that purchases the hardware and installs the software to offer free check-up services. The team plans to donate the product to rural and semi urban medical facilities and clinics to offer free bacterial vaginosis testing to all women in the respective communities.
Her Health Uganda also intends to offer bacterial vaginosis testing to different women in the community on their own and they target health workers, both private and Government funded clinics and hospitals that can afford to purchase the hardware and install the software. In a nipple of time to come, the six ladies and the Her Health Uganda organisation believe after all that is successful that they should then be able to offer free and real time medical check-up for bacterial vaginosis to the women in the community.
With such a genre of mind-sets on the rise in the youthful stage, some enigmas that have for the past times proved a menace will long be history. God Bless the works of the selfless efforts of these six ladies. Campusbee Uganda wishes you the best.
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