Advent of needle-free anaemia scanning promises progress on maternal health

A new device that destigmatises anaemia diagnosis should be of major benefit to women and children in developing countries.
Anaemia, or abnormally low haemoglobin in the blood, affects more than half of children under five and pregnant women in the the developing world, according to the World Health Organisation. The disorder, which remains the biggest indirect cause of maternal mortality in such countries, weakens the blood's ability to clot, increasing the risk of postpartum haemorrhage.
Low levels of haemoglobin, the iron-rich molecule that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, have a detrimental effect on the development of the body, including the brain. The young inventors at Biosense say their device can help to fight anaemia more effectively.
ToucHb, as their device is called, comes with a probe into which the finger is inserted. When light-emitting diodes in the probe shine light through the nail, a photodiode on the other end interprets the absorption patterns to produce an instant reading of the volume of haemoglobin in the patient's blood.