Infectious disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with the developing world contributing an overwhelming percentage of cases of infection. Conquering these infections is a challenge to which all segments of BD’s business are committed.
     Measles kills 400,000 children every year. It can be prevented by a vaccine–the problem is limited access. More than two billion people are infected with hepatitis B and C. Many of these cases are unnecessary, resulting from needle and syringe reuse– a challenge BD addresses through its auto-disable syringes. More than four billion vaccinations have been administered using auto-disable syringes from the BD SoloShot family. These syringes are now being used to deliver childhood immunizations in India, which in 2006 became one of the last countries to require the switch from glass syringes to auto-disable syringes.
     The leading cause of death for the three million HIV/AIDS patients who died in 2005 was tuberculosis. Yet, the most commonly used TB diagnostic in developing countries– the 115-year-old sputum smear–is not effective in HIV-positive patients. Rapid and accurate detection of TB in HIV/AIDS patients is challenging even in the developed world, but the wide availability of BD BACTEC MGIT (Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube) technology make it possible. It is highly sensitive and can help make treatment more effective by determining resistance to the drugs routinely used to treat TB. Access to this product in the developing world is severely limited, however. Working to change that, BD at present has placed more than 300 BD BACTEC MGIT systems in developing countries.
     BD is also conducting studies with the Foundation for Innovative Diagnostics (FIND) and the Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS TB Epidemic (CREATE) to improve the diagnosis of sputum smear-negative TB patients co-infected with HIV in Zambia, South Africa and Brazil.
     Beyond providing advanced technologies, a commitment to training healthcare providers is a major part of BD’s efforts. BD has conducted Good Laboratory Practice training for more than 1,900 lab workers in nearly 50 developing countries. This training is critical to ensuring that CD4 testing, the primary indicator of immune status in HIV patients, is properly performed. BD is also training vaccinators, an occupation devoted to administering injections in developing countries. Training improves their knowledge and techniques and allows countries to develop healthcare capacity.