TshegoMolotsi/TBWatch-IoT-System

A multi-layered IoT system designed for assisting with Tuberculosis detection and treatment monitoring in South Africa. # TBWatch ### A Three-Layered IoT System for Tuberculosis Detection & Treatment Monitoring **Project Status:** Simulation-Based [**Author:** Tshegofatso Molotsi, Aspiring IoT Engineer [cite: 6] --- ## 🌍 Overview [cite_start]According to the annual G20 Conference, Tuberculosis remains a top health threat in South Africa, causing over 54,000 annual deaths[cite: 8]. [cite_start]Current management is passive and treatment is often unmonitored[cite: 9]. [cite_start]**TBWatch** is a multi-layered IoT system designed to address TB from pre-symptomatic stages to post-treatment relapse detection[cite: 10]. ## 📊 The Problem in South Africa * [cite_start]**Incidence Rate:** 450 cases per 100,000 population (highest in the world)[cite: 30]. * [cite_start]**Treatment Default Rate:** 15% due to unmonitored treatment plans[cite: 47, 55]. * [cite_start]**Pre-Diagnosis Gap:** 50% of transmission occurs before symptoms show, causing 60-90 day delays[cite: 53]. ## 🏗️ System Architecture The solution is composed of three integrated layers: ### [cite_start]**Layer One: Community Layer (Household Monitoring)** [cite: 68] * [cite_start]**Wearable Sensor Patch:** Monitors heart rate, cough frequency (using TinyML), and SpO2[cite: 70, 72, 149]. * [cite_start]**Environmental Node:** Tracks PM2.5, temperature, and humidity using ESP32 nodes[cite: 70, 148]. * [cite_start]**Connectivity:** BLE Mesh for local data aggregation and LoRa for long-range relay[cite: 70, 187]. ### [cite_start]**Layer Two: Primary Care Level (Clinic Insight)** [cite: 78] * [cite_start]**Clinic Gateway:** A Raspberry Pi receiver that processes real-time data[cite: 83, 134]. * [cite_start]**Risk Scoring Engine:** An ML-based engine that calculates composite risk scores to identify high-risk individuals[cite: 83, 139]. * [cite_start]**Triage Dashboard:** A web-based visualization tool for clinic staff[cite: 83, 136]. ### [cite_start]**Layer Three: Health System (Population Surveillance)** [cite: 90] * [cite_start] …