Health dept considers using AI to speed up TB and silicosis diagnosis

The health department is considering adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) as part of its efforts to accelerate the screening and diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and silicosis in South Africa.

This follows the recommendation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for member states to use computer-aided detection software (CAD) to interpret chest X-rays when screening and triaging for tuberculosis.

AI diagnosis

The health department will be holding a conference from 20 to 22 June with TB experts and stakeholders to discuss how AI can be used to enhance diagnosis of both TB and silicosis in the country.

The gathering will also address the current backlogs, especially among people who contracted occupational health diseases while working in the mines.

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said the while radiological methods, including chest X-rays, have been integral in diagnosing TB and silicosis among mineworkers, there are limitations.

“These methods have limitations, especially in differentiating between TB and silicosis, due to their similar radiological presentations as well as silico-tuberculosis.

“Key participants include occupational health professionals, representatives from mining companies, implementers of the TIMS initiative, academic groups specializing in TB and silicosis research, miners and ex-miner representatives, regulatory authorities and AI technology companies,” Mohale said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘Gen AI solves problems that were too expensive to solve’ – Cyborg Anthropologist

Solving problems

The theme of the conference is Dust and Infection-Free Lungs: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for TB and Silicosis. The health department said this is opportune time to help the country gain awareness of the Computer Aided Detection diagnostic tools to assist towards the End TB Goal by 2035.

Last year, MJ Petroni, a cyborg anthropologist and futurist at Causeit said generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) allowed people to solve problems.

Petroni, who hails from the US, was the keynote speaker at the Dell Technologies Forum at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.

Petroni said Gen AI can play a critical role in society.

“It allows us to solve problems that previously we were told are too expensive to solve. So, whether that’s providing healthcare for everyone or a tutor for every child or student or access to information in every language, we can now do that.”

Warning

While AI has the potential to transform health treatment the WHO warned that rapid roll-out without fully understanding how AI performs could end up harming patients.

The WHO said AI held great promise for healthcare but also came with challenges, notably around privacy and the potential to entrench existing problems.

ALSO READ: WHO says AI can transform healthcare if understood properly