In the News: What's Up with Apps

Flickr/Blake Patterson

"It’s been, for years, going through these nonstop hoops of fire to get birth control ... if I went through my normal physician and the referrals, I would be six months pregnant before I would get my hands on it.”
​--From "Birth Control via App Finds Footing Under Political Radar"

Here's some surprising and innovative ways that apps are shaping health and social movements around the world:

• How Brazil's Favorite App is Helping Doctors and Parents Cope with Microcephaly
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• Birth Control via App Finds Footing Under Political Radar
  
  
• What'sApp Helps Activists Expose Corruption, Organize Protests in Mexico


• 8 Apps That Are Revolutionizing Maternal Health Care in Developing Nations​
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• ​TraffickCam App Helps Identify Sex Trafficking Through Hotel Room Photos Sent by Tourists 

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Photo by Pam Frost Gorder, courtesy of The Ohio State University.

Inexpensive Paper Strips Help Test for Cancer, Malaria in Developing Countries 

Chemists at The Ohio State University are in the process of developing paper strips that can detect life-threatening diseases, including some cancers and malaria. Users can apply a drop of blood to the strip and then send it to a lab to be tested, according to a news release from the university.

The method will be particularly useful for underserved people living in rural areas who lack access to medical care.

​This Ring Can Help Stop the Spread of HIV in Women

Protecting against HIV infection continues to be an ongoing challenge - but a new product for women is showing promise. In a recent trial of 2,629 women from Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe, test results showed that a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug called dapivirine can provide significant protection against HIV when used consistently for at least a month at a time.

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"If the new Zipline system works, every one of Rwanda’s 11 million citizens could soon be a short drone ride away from any essential medical product."
--From "A Life-Saving Drone Takes Off in Rwanda"

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A Life-Saving Drone Takes Off in Rwanda

The first company to start making drone deliveries at a high volume won’t be Amazon or DHL, but a startup sending medical supplies to hospitals throughout Rwanda.

Here's the story of how a San Francisco-based company (Zipline International) reinvented the drone to distribute medical supplies in rural Africa.

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