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Darkar, Senegal
A loud whistle and growl come from a green bag that presses air through a tube, as Senegalese researchers work to develop a prototype fan that could cost just $ 160 each instead of tens of thousands of dollars.
The team is using 3-D printed parts as they work to find a local solution to a medical deficit that has plagued even the wealthiest countries – how to have enough breathing machines to handle an avalanche of COVID-19 patients who need the devices to help increase your blood oxygen levels.
Complicating the task in Africa is the fact that the peak in coronavirus cases for the continent is expected to come later than in Europe and the United States, long after dozens of other countries have purchased available supplies.
“Africans must find their own solutions to their problems. We must show our independence. It is a great motivation for this,” Ibrahima Gueye, a professor at the Thies Polytechnic School in Senegal, said of the 12-member team developing the prototype of fan. .
Their efforts are reflected in other parts of the continent, where medical supplies are generally imported.
These efforts to develop ventilators, personal protective equipment, disinfectants, and rapid antibody tests are expected by many to lead to more independent solutions for future health crises.
Although the quality of some products will not reach a standard as high as in the USA. USA Or Europe, Mr. Gueye said it’s exciting that that level can be reached eventually, with enough time and investment.
In Ethiopia, biomedical engineer Bilisumma Anbesse is among the volunteers who repair and upgrade old fans. While the country has attempted to acquire more than 1,000 fans abroad, high demand has frustrated progress.
“American and Chinese companies that produce mechanical ventilators say they cannot accept new orders until July. The same is true for other medical items such as PPE and gloves,” Annbesse said, referring to personal protective equipment that is used to minimize exposure. to health risks.
Africans are also helping to develop tools for disease prevention and surveillance.
The Pasteur Institute in Dakar is working on a rapid test for COVID-19 in association with the British biotech company Mologic, which developed a rapid test for Ebola. They hope that the coronavirus test, which can give results in 10 minutes, can be distributed in Africa in early June. Once a prototype is validated, the test kits will be made in the UK and at a new infectious disease testing facility in Senegal, DiaTropix, which was founded by the Pasteur Institute.
Workers in Dakar are using laser cutters to make around 1,000 face shields per week for healthcare workers. They are also creating key chains with prevention messages like “Stay Home.”
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are being produced in Zimbabwe on university and technical campuses that have been transformed into “COVID response factories.” Higher Education Minister Amon Murwira said the teams are also producing masks, dresses and aprons.
It is not known whether these projects will end before the virus peaks in Africa, but observers say the long-term impact of such ingenuity is substantial.
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa, told The Associated Press. “What we are seeing in Africa is going to change the way medical supplies in particular are manufactured.”
He predicted that there would be a “new public health order” after the pandemic, with changes in global supply chains. Countries are already taking steps to avoid having to rely on foreign aid.
Developing countries are struggling to obtain equipment as deliveries become difficult. But even India, where some engineers are also trying to build low-cost fans, has access to more than 19,000 of them in addition to domestic manufacturers expected to deliver tens of thousands more.
African nations are understanding the importance of local production and ingenuity.
Ghana is using drone technology to transport COVID-19 evidence and protective gear in collaboration with a US-based company. USA Called Zipline, which already distributed vaccines and other medical products to remote parts of the country.
“This is a global pandemic: 210 countries and territories worldwide are affected,” Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari recently tweeted. “We cannot wait for others to come help us. No one will come to beat this virus for us.”
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Elias Meseret in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe; and Cara Anna contributed in Johannesburg.
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