Project Optimize—a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH—aims to employ technological and scientific advances in the immunization field. This document describes efforts to define ideal specifications for health products and create a flexible and robust vaccine supply chain that can handle an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

Publication date: November 2010

Region: Global

This project Optimize document describes an effort by the World Health Organization, PATH, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Guatemala Ministry of Public Health and Social Services to address challenges related to vaccine introduction. The goal is to develop an information system that will enable the digital recording and transmission of immunization data.

Publication date: November 2010

Region: Global

In this document, project Optimize reviews the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project, which represents an end-to-end reengineering of the US public-sector vaccine supply chain—from vaccine budgeting through storage and distribution. The CDC’s overarching goal was to ensure that vaccine was flowing to the right places at the right time.

Author: Wasserman N

Publication date: November 2010

Region: Global

PATH's Safe Water Project works to catalyze changes within the household water treatment and storage product category, specifically to benefit low-income populations. This matrix portrays a global landscape of technologies both presently existing and under development by numerous researchers and manufacturers.

Publication date: October 2010

Region: Global

Part of series: Safe water briefs

This fact sheet from the Global Health Technologies Coalition explores different incentives and innovative financing mechanisms and their role in global health product development.

Publication date: October 2010

Region: North America and Europe

Disposable-syringe jet injectors have the potential to deliver vaccines safely and affordably. However, there are complex cost considerations that must be taken into account with any new technology. This article, published in Vaccine, estimates the incremental costs of transitioning from needles and syringes to delivering childhood vaccines with disposable-syringe jet injectors in Brazil, India, and South Africa.

Author: Griffiths UK, Santos AC, Nundy N, Jacoby E, Matthias D

Publication date: October 2010

Region: Global

This issue of PATH Today highlights new, innovative technologies coming from the lab and shop at PATH, a spotlight on the December launch of the meningitis vaccine in Western Africa, and a tuberculosis project in Tanzania. Also noted is the 1+1 Challenge, expanding PATH’s presence with new country offices in Africa, and the announcement of a new leader for PATH's India country program.

Publication date: October 2010

Region: Global

Part of series: PATH Today

This poster describes the Smart Electrochlorinator 200 (SE200). The SE200, developed by Cascade Design, Inc. in collaboration with PATH, is a small, community-scale electrochlorination system. Using salt, water, and the resources of a car battery, it creates and dispenses enough chlorine to treat up to 200 liters of water.

Publication date: October 2010

Region: Global

PATH and John Snow, Inc., developed these brief talking points on health care waste management to support advocacy efforts in order to raise awareness about why health care waste management is important and how programs can improve current practices.

Publication date: January 2010

Region: Global

This research paper and strategic briefing confirms the importance of following a replicable process for determining and documenting user requirements for health management information systems via an extensive literature review and expert interviews. It also details recommendations on how to integrate a standard methodology into information and communication technology projects for global health. Find out more about PATH's work in digital health solutions.

Author: Wilson K, Lubinski D

Publication date: September 2010

Region: Global

This document focuses on a method for producing descriptions, models, and figures for logistics management that accurately represent the views and needs of global health professionals. The document can be used by global health practitioners to inform software development related to health systems. Find out more about PATH's work in digital health solutions.

Publication date: September 2010

Region: Global

As part of project Optimize, a five-year human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine demonstration project is under way in Vietnam, Uganda, India, and Peru to generate evidence for government decision-making about successful vaccine delivery strategies to provide HPV vaccine to young adolescent girls. HPV vaccine is a strong candidate for storage and transport in a controlled temperature chain at temperatures higher than the standard 2° to 8°C cold chain storage.

Publication date: September 2010

Region: Global

This fact sheet from the Global Health Technologies Coalition examines how research for new global health tools can help achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Publication date: September 2010

Region: Global

PATH and our partners have been advancing innovative vaccine technologies for more than 30 years. This report outlines our approach and capabilities. It also describes a number of individual vaccine technologies at various stages of development and market introduction to put this work in context. 

Publication date: September 2010

Region: Global

The study highlighted in this project Optimize report uses a breakeven cost analysis to compare potential prices, wastage rates, and cold chain requirements for various human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine presentations.

Publication date: August 2010

Region: Global

PATH’s Safe Water Project is implementing an innovative safe water project with the goal of enabling commercial enterprises to produce, distribute, sell, and maintain effective household water treatment and storage products for low-income populations in multiple developing countries around the world. This project brief summarizes the findings and implications of user testing conducted for five household water treatment and safe storage devices in Andhra Pradesh, India, in 2009.

Author: Kols A

Publication date: August 2010

Region: Asia

Part of series: Safe water briefs

PATH’s Safe Water Project is implementing an innovative project to enable commercial enterprises to produce, distribute, sell, and maintain effective household water treatment and storage products for low-income populations in multiple developing countries. This project brief summarizes the findings and implications of an initial market assessment conducted in 2009 across eight African countries. It is available in two formats: one for onscreen viewing and one for booklet-style printing.

Author: Kols A

Publication date: August 2010

Region: Africa

Part of series: Safe water briefs

Commissioned by project Optimize, a collaboration of PATH and the World Health Organization, a study of vaccine vial monitor (VVM) availability and use in developing countries in four regions was undertaken. The study had three aspects: the total proportion of vaccines with VVMs in the regions with detailed information by country, in-depth information on policies and practices, and knowledge and attitudes in a selected sample of countries.

Author: Milstein J

Publication date: August 2010

Region: Global

Presented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in 2010, this poster summarizes the results of a PATH and FHI analysis of the hypothetical acceptability of a modified nipple shield device (MNSD). This novel, low-cost MNSD is based on a conventional nipple shield that could be used discreetly by HIV-positive mothers to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV during breastfeeding.

Author: Israel-Ballard K, Hart C, Thungu F, Joanis C, Baniecki ML, Sokal D

Publication date: July 2010

Region: Africa

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is intended to prevent cervical cancer. As part of project Optimize, a two-year HPV vaccine demonstration project is being conducted to demonstrate how existing delivery systems can be adapted to successfully provide HPV vaccine to young adolescent girls. HPV vaccine is a strong candidate for out-of-the-cold-chain use given its characteristics of high heat stability and freeze sensitivity.

Author: Robertson J, Vu H, Le N, et al.

Publication date: July 2010

Region: Global