Podtech
Bringing essential dengue vaccines to vulnerable regions with PodTech™
“Health officials in the Florida Keys issue a dengue fever alert” “Dengue cases in Bengaluru cross 2,000; over 9K residents tested since January 1” “A record surge in dengue cases in Latin America spurs a warning” “Burkina Faso: more than 350 deaths from dengue fever in a month” “Dengue will ‘take…
Read MoreFor Africa, by Africa: Bringing health product manufacturing home with PodTech™
Imagine you need to fix a creaky coffee table. You need to borrow some tools. So you take your car out and drive to your cousin’s house ten minutes away. You got what you needed, but did you get it in the most efficient way possible? Couldn’t your next-door neighbour have lent you their tools…
Read MoreLocalising diabetes management solutions with PodTech™
The diabetes burden in LMICs. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there were 164,400 adult cases of diabetes in Burkina Faso in 2021. Nigeria, with a larger overall population, had 3,623,500 adults with diabetes in 2021. In Kenya, the number stood at 821,500. In Côte d’Ivoire, it was 231,200. The…
Read MoreThe climate-ageing-infrastructure nexus: Protecting human health with climate-resilient prefab factories
June 2024 was the warmest June on record. May 2024 was the warmest May on record. The same goes for April, March, February… back to June 2023. June 2024 was also the 12th consecutive month in which global temperatures reached 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average recorded between 1850 and 1900. Steady, undeniable progress towards…
Read MoreAccelerating oncology research through strategic site selection and modular construction
As a medical oncologist and Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, Dr Jackson Orem has decades of experience in oncology research. In an article in Nature’s Communications Medicine, he shed light on the complexity and dynamism of cancer care, a practice based deeply on evolving research and advancing technologies. Drawing from his extensive…
Read MoreAddressing disparities in cancer care accessibility globally
In an article in Communications Medicine, a professor of epidemiology points out that cancer used to be a disease of the affluent, reserved predominantly for people in high-income countries. In the past few decades, however, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have become home to a high burden of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. In the…
Read MoreBridging infrastructure gaps for effective microbiology labs in developing nations
The World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the leading public health and development threats in the world. The global health agency estimates that in 2019, 1.27 million deaths were a direct consequence of AMR. In total, AMR contributed to an astounding 4.95 million deaths that year. With many…
Read MoreDeploying prefabricated factory systems to strengthen the fight against visceral leishmaniasis
Kala azar, black fever, or visceral leishmaniasis. VL for short. The most serious of three main forms of leishmaniasis, VL is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that is almost always fatal if left untreated. Like the other kinds of leishmaniasis, it is caused by protozoan parasites, transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine…
Read MoreImproving cancer care access in Africa
In 1970, 15% of the world’s new cancer cases were found in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 2008, 56% of the world’s new cancer cases were found in LMICs. By 2030, it is estimated that a whopping 70% of new global cancer cases will be found in LMICs. What about survival…
Read MoreEmpowering healthcare innovation in LMICs through local research and prefabricated construction
In the past several decades, the world of healthcare has borne witness to countless innovations in drugs, vaccines, therapeutic modalities, medical technology, and healthcare delivery. From the eradication of smallpox and the novel use of mRNA for vaccine delivery to remote monitoring devices and telemedicine for remote medical consultations, the health sector has come a…
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