How new technology is winning the fight against the Ebola virus

Four people wearing surgical gloves, goggles and face masks marched into a computer superstore in London last year.

Don’t worry, it wasn’t some kind of robbery. The masked men and women were from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or “Doctors without Borders, a humanitarian aid charity). They had come to test tablet computers for use in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. To make the test as realistic as possible, the MSF team was dressed in the typical work gear of an aid giver. 

“Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease spread by the Ebola virus. The current Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting several countries in West Africa.”

The idea for using a tablet for the Ebola outbreak came from a doctor in Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa where the Ebola virus is still active. 

 After his daily visits with his Ebola patients, the doctor had no other way to pass on patient information other than to shout his observations over the fence to an assistant, while still wearing his entire protective gear of a plastic suit, masks, goggles and gloves. He could not use pen and paper as they would be covered in Ebola and could no longer be taken out of the treatment centre. 

Thus the challenge was on for MSF to find a better way to collect patient data by designing an Ebola-proof tablet.

After the shopping trip to the computer store, MSF settled on the Sony Xperia Z2. They set about developing its waterproof capabilities to fulfil these conditions:

1. It must be tough enough to survive the harsh work environment of West Africa,
2. Remain easy enough to use for workers in protective gear, and
3. Be immune from being dunked into a pool of chlorine, to kill off the Ebola virus.

Eventually they came up with a tablet that was protected in a bullet-proof case and with a screen full of big green buttons, bright enough and large enough so that even a tired, sweaty doctor in mask and gloves could use it. It also had a special and powerful processor that could run 24 hours a day and could be charged from a motorcycle battery.

So the next time you pick up your mum or dad’s tablet, remember, it can do much more than just play games and load videos. It can help to save lives too.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)