Across Africa’s “meningitis belt,” countries are introducing a new vaccine that targets all major strains of meningococcal bacteria, offering hope of ending the devastating epidemics that have killed hundreds of thousands.
In the United Kingdom, scientists have developed a soft, sensor-filled cap that uses light and ultrasound to monitor babies’ brains directly from their hospital cots, aiming to speed diagnosis and treatment for brain injuries.
South Africa has begun applying new international guidelines that require action at just 300 mL of blood loss, enabling earlier treatment of postpartum haemorrhage and helping save lives like that of Cape Town mother Zaitoon Ragman.
MIT engineers have developed a programmable drug-delivery patch that can be placed directly on the heart after a heart attack, facilitating the healing of damaged tissue and regenerating blood vessels in ways previously not possible.
