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How Tech Can Help Win Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affect about 1.5 billion of the world's poorest. That's more than one-sixth of the global population. Digital technology could turbo-boost progress in combating them. For instance in Rwanda, drones are now being used to transport blood to frontline health facilities. This technology be further utilised. Prevention of NTDs often involves community-wide drug distribution, for instance, but the safe movement of the medicines from cold storage to the ground level often presents major difficulties, writes Nigeria Health Watch's Ifeanyi Nsofor for African Arguments.

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InFocus

Margaret Christoba, who contracted river blindness many years ago, is led along a path with a stick to guide her by her great granddaughter Rahab.

Rwanda has been using drones to deliver blood, but the technology could be expanded to other urgent deliveries in tackling NTDs.

Young boys bathe in a river in Kachia, Kaduna State, known to be a source of river blindness.

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