Medtronic RHD Screening (2011)
Bienmoyo has received a grant from Medtronic Foundation to deliver screenings for strep A and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in the high-prevalence region of Manyara, Tanzania. This project will extend the mobile-health platform which Bienmoyo piloted in Tanzania, allowing community health workers and physicians to coordinate point-of-care diagnostics. Bienmoyo will also be providing several Vscan portable ultrasound devices for use in the screenings. Scheduled for deployment sometime in 2012, this project aims to screen 10,000 primary school-children and provide antibiotic treatments as well as referrals for severe cases.
Cardiologist and technicians from Dar es Salaam attend a training for the GE Vscan® portable ultrasound device
Healthy Heart Initiative (2006)
Bienmoyo provided access to rapid strep A tests to help in the development of community prevention programs for Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). Rheumatic fever, which can lead to RHD, follows a neglected sore throat (strep infection) and can be effectively diagnosed using off the shelf rapid strep tests and treated with a simple low cost penicillin injection.
... Rheumatic Fever affects an estimated 12 million annually ...
Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RF/RHD) remain a significant cause of heart disease in the developing world today, affecting an estimated 12 million people worldwide, two thirds of them children and young adults.
Of the estimated 12 million with RF/RHD, at least 3 million have congestive heart failure (CHF) that required hospitalization. A large number these require expensive cardiac valve replacement surgery. If surgery is not available or affordable, the quality of life is extremely poor and many will not live a full and happy life.
Cardiac Research Unit Business Plan
Bienmoyo helped to coordinate the development of a business plan and strategic road map for a cardiac care center at the National Hospital in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Key tenets of the plan include patient care, training and education, and a cardiac research unit. Bienmoyo is currently supporting donor awareness and fund raising for the CCC business plan.