3 devices to save lives

MPN picks three devices helping save lives across the globe

Portable, affordable screening for eye problems

About 40 million people worldwide are blind and another 250 million have moderate to severe visual impairment. Portable, affordable devices screen for early signs of diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, and other eye conditions that may signal serious health conditions that could lead to death. One example is the 3nethraClassic, which can be operated by a minimally trained technician and uses web-based storage of results so programs can use the expertise of eye doctors in distant locations.

Tools for small-scale water treatment

Use of contaminated water can cause severe diarrhoea. The Zimba automated batch chlorinator, is a device fitted directly to a hand pump or community tap that automatically chlorinates water to a safe concentration without electricity or moving parts.

One-year contraceptive vaginal ring

Increased use of contraception to delay motherhood, space births, prevent unintended pregnancy and avoid unsafely performed abortions could reduce maternal and infant deaths. Family planning could save an estimated 80,000 women and 1.1 million infants each year. A one-year contraceptive vaginal ring can be inserted by a woman at home and provides long-acting, reversible protection through the slow, sustained release of Nestorone and ethinyl estradiol.