This is awesome - the eSTI2 research project headed by Dr Tariq Sadiq at St George’s, University of London has come out with a small chip that allows you to test saliva, urine or blood for sexually transmitted diseases. The chips would connect to a mobile phone for processing.

The prototype cost is already a low 30$ per kit, but the target is go as low as $5 - which will be reduced much, much further if it is deployed on a huge scale in India.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is trying hard to stem the spread of sexually communicable diseases in India, even mulling the creation of an apex communicable diseases organization. There is already the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) program for prevention/cure of venereal diseases.

This is something that the Govt of India should definitely consider as part of its rural health program, especially considering the low cost and remote reach of mobile technology.