SkincAIr

The challenge

Many neglected tropical diseases affect the skin. Globally, almost 2 billion people have skin conditions linked to such infections, causing stigma, isolation and discrimination alongside their direct effects on health.

Assessment of skin conditions could therefore provide a rapid and convenient way to diagnose neglected tropical diseases, enabling the right treatment to be offered to patients. However, in most sub-Saharan African countries, there are shortages of specialist dermatologists who could make such diagnoses.

The project

The SkincAIr project aims to overcome this barrier using AI-based image analysis of skin lesions. Its aim is to create an AI-driven app for use in primary care settings to characterise skin lesions and provide a diagnosis to guide subsequent care.

Working in Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the project is collating a large database of several thousand images of skin lesions associated with multiple neglected tropical diseases affecting sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on material at 12 hospitals in participating countries. These images are being carefully annotated by dermatologists and will be used to train an AI image recognition system.

The diagnostic app based on this AI system will be co-developed with health workers and other stakeholders using a rapid prototyping and revision approach. It will also incorporate educational materials for health workers, and information gathered through the app will be integrated into the standard health informatics platform (DHIS2) used locally. Each image will be geotagged, providing policymakers with epidemiological data on each neglected tropical disease.

The project will also conduct a validation study to assess diagnostic accuracy by comparing the tool’s predictions with those of expert clinicians. Impacts on diagnostic performance of health workers will then be assessed in the three participating countries through a before-and-after comparison following the introduction of the new tool.

Impact

The SkincAIr project has the potential to have a major impact on the care of neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. It will:

• Provide a tool for diagnosis of neglected tropical diseases in frontline health facilities, based on their characteristic skin manifestations.
• Ensure that patients receive a rapid diagnosis and are started on the appropriate treatment as soon as possible.
• Lead to more rapid patient recovery and reduce the likelihood of social stigmatisation and other psychosocial harms.
• Reduce the risk of further transmission due to untreated infections in the community.

With neglected tropical diseases affecting many millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa, the SkincAIr project could have a substantial impact on health and quality of life – particularly among some of the poorest populations in Africa, who are at particular risk of such diseases.