Kenya Medical Research Institute NEC Corporation and Nagasaki University have developed an immunization management system based on digital biometrics for newborns in Kenya. Validation of this system is ongoing through KEMRI with a clinical trial which commenced in September 2022 at Kinango Sub-County Hospital in Kwale.

The digital system provided by NEC, a leader in the integration of information technology and networks, and KEMRI, one of the leading research institutions in Africa, will efficiently and transparently manage the history and planning of vaccinations using fingerprint identification for newborns and voice recognition for caregivers.

This technology marks the first time that biometric identification has been used in a hospital to identify newborns at the time of vaccination, including those immediately after delivery (*1).

To provide context, many children around the world continue to lose their lives at a very young age. In 2020 alone, around 5 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday. Furthermore, about half of these children under five, or 2.4 million children, died within 28 days of birth, with many of the deaths considered preventable (*2).

Meanwhile, in some parts of the world, the use of digital technology has not progressed due to delays in the development of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. In these regions, medical services can only be registered manually. In such cases, health care providers cannot easily determine what medical services are needed for caregivers and children visiting their hospitals, which is one of the factors hindering efforts to ensure that children receive the vaccines they need.

This new technology combines fingerprint identification for children and voice recognition for caregivers to not only confirm their identity, but also to reliably manage history and vaccination schedules, thus supporting the implementation of appropriate vaccinations for newborns and children in the first 24 months of life. Demonstration tests linking several hospitals will begin with the aim of large-scale introduction across Kenya by the end of 2023, and more international roll-out in the future.

Voice and fingerprint data will be deleted after the trial ends.

Link to press release:
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202302/global_20230207_01.html

Notes :

(*1) NEC research as of February 7, 2023
(*2) Source: Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, 2021 Report, UN-IGME
https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in- child-mortality/

The text of the press release resulting from a translation should in no way be considered official. The only authentic version of the press release is that of the press release in its original language. The translation will always have to be compared with the source text, which will set a precedent.

 

Source:businesswire.com

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