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Millennium Health Microscope
WHY MICROSCOPES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED IN THE DEVELPOING WORLD
THIS YEAR millions will die in the developing world from preventable tropical diseases and an enormous number of these will be young children under the age of five who will succumb to malaria. Millions more will suffer the debilitating effects of the helminthic diseases resulting in entrenched poverty. While the greatest scourge is malaria which is present in 140 countries, placing some 3.2 billion people at risk, 650 million people will also be at risk of contracting schistosomiasis and the other helminths. Millions, too, are at risk from tuberculosis. Collectively these diseases wreak the greatest havoc in continental Africa yet these debilitating diseases are endemic throughout the tropical regions of the world.
The disease burden of infectious and parasitic diseases in the tropical regions is truly alarming and continues to exert a curse on socio-economic development, condemning tens of millions of people to a life of grinding poverty because of prolonged and unnecessary illnesses. Nearly all of these tropical diseases are preventable and may be routinely diagnosed by simple microscopic examinations of either blood, stool or urine specimens and there remains a pressing need for microscopic diagnosis of these diseases. Nevertheless the continual attrition of facilities within rural health clinics renders the lack of microscopes a major logistical bottleneck because of high cost. This is especially true amongst field-based roving health teams or first-point-of-call health centres in remote areas. Furthermore an ‘on the ground’ health assessment is urgently needed to reveal the true extent of tropical diseases to better guide preventative drug delivery.
WORLD HEALTH AUTHORITY REAFFIRMS MICROSCOPY AS THE GOLD STANDARD for the diagnosis of tropical diseases. There is therefore a compelling case for the availability of a low cost microscope and the Newton Microscope has been conceived to address this need. A simple and pragmatic alternative to expensive laboratory instruments, this low-cost, highly portable microscope could be distributed widely in the developed world next year.
Malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum
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MILLENNIUM HEALTH UK Charity no. 1119453
Microscope Foundation www.millennium-microscope.org
Young children in the developing world are particularly susceptible to worm infections, especially where local sanitation is poor
Shistosome egg in stool sample, photographed through the Newton Microscope at 400 x
Malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum
Blood smear photographed through the Newton Microscope at 1000x
The Newton Microscope
worldwide patents pending
The new microscope will empower 'first-point-of-care' health centres in the rural tropics
Internal chassis of the new microscope. Precision in miniature
MISSION
To empower the international fight against malaria, tuberculosis and
the helminthic diseases with the new compact Newton Microscope
To save the lives of the many in the rural tropics
with affordable diagnostic microscopy
Latest News - November 2011
THE MILLENNIUM HEALTH MICROSCOPE FOUNDATION which was one of the Phase I Grand Challenges award is pleased to announce that they have been successful in developing a 'proof of concept' fluorescing microscope of great novelty which could be in full production within 18 months. The lightweight portable instrument could revolutionise the diagnosis and mapping of TB and Malaria in the rural tropics as well many other diseases.
THE FOUNDATION SEEKS GIFT FUNDING to allow donation of the Millennium Health Microscope to the
developing world. If you can help us to fulfil this worthwhile vision please contact us or make a donation
