( CNN ) -- It 's an entirely preventable disease , and when diagnosed early , it 's easily treatable . Yet Malaria still claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year . All it takes is a single mosquito bite and you can become infected . In 2012 , the tropical disease caused 627,000 deaths internationally , 90 % of them in sub-Saharan Africa . Ashley Uys , a South African biotechnologist-turned-enterpreneur , is hoping to bring that number down to zero . Through his company Medical Diagnostic , Uys has developed a self-testing kit that can diagnose the disease in less than 30 minutes , and put sufferers on the path to recovery faster . `` I decided to look at what is the most needing product in Africa at the moment . And malaria , malaria is big , '' says Uys . `` I then decided to look at a malaria test that can actually show you the strain of malaria you have -- the type of malaria -- so ( doctors ) know which treatment to give you , and then also to see if the treatment is working or not . So I developed a test that can do all of that . '' Merging science and business . The best think about Uys ' test is the price : they cost roughly 30 cents each , a fact Uys takes immense pride in . `` The fact that ( they are affordable ) of course makes it more accessible to the public . For me . it is very satisfying to know that a farm worker in a rural area does n't have to worry about going to a doctor . Our product can be used at the point of care , '' he says . `` You do n't need skilled labor to use it : prick ( your finger ) , run the test and wait for results . There 's a lot of diamonds in the rough ( is Africa ) , a lot of potential , and diseases and epidemics are killing off this potential . So it has a knock-on effect that is important . '' Given Uys is only 30-years old , he 's achieved an incredible amount . Like many young entrepreneurs , he has drawn inspiration from his childhood and surroundings . Using this experience , Uys creates local solutions for everyday problems . For the Cape Town native , malaria prevention is just the beginning . Saying 'No ' to drugs . Uys has turned his attention to another scourge affecting his community : Drug use . `` On the Cape Flats , there was a big problem of drugs abuse , '' he recalls . `` People abusing methamphetamine , et cetera . Fortunately for me , although I grew up on the Cape Flats where it 's very prevalent , I used sport to keep me away from bad habits and getting involved with the wrong crowd . '' Now , as the founder of his own biotech company , Uys created a test capable of detecting a range of drugs , including amphetamines , benzyls , cocaine , methamphetamine , heroine and morphine . The idea first came to him when , following a survey of users , he identified the correlation between drug use and eye movement . Following this revelation , Uys had a light-bulb movement that would take his product development to the next level . `` We get five to 10 megapixel cameras on mobile phones . I thought to myself : 'imagine developing an app for your phone where you can actually test your kids for drugs by using the flash as a light stimulus . The camera can capture the movement and calculate the speed of your eyes and action , or ( tell ) if they 're dilated or constricted . '' Uys is still working on the prototypes for his Oculus ID pupil scanner , but he hopes the product will be ready to go into the market in coming weeks . `` I 'm looking at innovation as the challenge for me . If you look at the first world countries it 's satisfying for me to see that we are innovating on that level or even better . `` And me coming from Belhar , I did n't go to Harvard , did n't have a rich dad who could buy me what I wanted -- I had to work for everything . I had to work and study . I used to pack fish when I was a student . And that motivated me to work harder , '' he says . WATCH : Nigerian professor makes history .
Malaria is a tropical disease frequently transmitted by mosquitoes . When caught early , it is entirely preventable and yet , it still claims over 600,000 lives a year . 90 % of all malaria deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa . South African biotechnologist has developed a test kit to diagnose sufferers earlier .