Why Egypt Is at the Forefront of Hepatitis C Treatment

Kano State in Nigeria has implemented a strategy to increase the likelihood of children receiving necessary vaccinations to reduce cases of polio. The strategy, which included enhanced training on administering the vaccinations, taking the vaccines directly to homes and "collaboration between policy makers and traditional leaders," has resulted in no cases of polio for the last five years.

Tuberculosis is still a rampant problem in the developing world. Doctors are looking for even more advanced ways to test for TB beyond the GeneXpert tests.

The Louisville school system is working to fill the vaccination gap among youth by establishing vaccine clinics at nearly all 160 schools, particularly those where immigrant students who are behind on their vaccinations are starting school. Since implementing these clinics, the vaccination rate during the last school year increased by 4%.

Drug Aid Africa sources unused, unaltered drugs from people who don’t need them anymore and distributes them to people who do need them but can’t afford or access them. Drug Aid Africa provides free routine medications for conditions like sickle-cell anemia, as well as antimalarials, antibiotics and frequent visits to communities where they provide healthcare support and supplies. So far, the organization's efforts have helped more than 10,000 people.

Germany, like the U.S., has a largely private healthcare system that relies on private doctors and private insurers. Like Americans, many Germans enroll in a health plan through work, splitting the cost with their employer. But Germany strictly limits how much patients have to pay out of their own pockets for a trip to the doctor, the hospital, or the pharmacy, making medical debt practically nonexistent.

To help address rising death rates caused by malaria, the Society for Family Health distributes insecticide nets to residents in rural communities for free and educates them on the importance of using them to protect against malaria-causing mosquito bites. The group has distributed 122.5 million nets between 2009 and 2021 and also provides diagnostic testing for malaria and advocates for more investing from government officials to address the disease.

With rapid diagnostic tests, Nigerians with malaria symptoms can get a quicker diagnosis at a lower cost, especially in regions where lab-based testing is not available. The tests have made it easier to get a diagnosis in places where malaria is prevalent, but many Nigerians still don't know the tests are an option or choose to self-medicate due to lack of trust in the local health system.

Although offering at-home care has been a practice for some time, the coronavirus pandemic has helped prompt more health insurance companies to allow health care workers to implement the practice at a larger scale. Treating patients in their homes doesn't just reduce the caseload for doctors in hospitals but also has been shown to have positive effects on the patient's overall health and well-being. Since the change in health insurance police, "interest in the programs has skyrocketed."

In early January, doctors at UW Medical Center began preparing for a coronavirus outbreak by transforming a research lab into a screening center for coronavirus that delivers results within a day. Now, coupled with a mobile clinic that allows for people to be tested from within the confines of their cars, the city has been able to test a large volume of people more safely than if they were being tested from within a hospital.

Cold storage supply chains improve the reliability of vaccine delivery. In Nigeria’s Kano State, the establishment of zonal cold stores has increased immunization coverage. Local nodes equipped with solar powered refrigeration provide storage for vaccines, which are then delivered to supply smaller health centers in the area. The initiative came from a partnership between the Nigerian state and nonprofits, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.