2008 Health Award Laureate
Marc Koska, Star Syringe
| Laureate Country: United Kingdom |
| Project Countries: 41 countries including Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Denmark, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and Sri Lanka |
| Website: http://www.starsyringe.com |
| Video: 2008videos/Marc_Koska.mov |
Marc Koska developed non-reusable syringe technology to stop the medical transmission of blood-borne diseases.
In developing countries, syringes are re-used an average of seven times, often because hospitals unknowingly purchase used products. Needle re-use transmits more than 23 million cases of Hepatitis B and C and 250,000 cases of HIV to patients each year.
Marc Koska invented a safety syringe that automatically prevents re-use. A fine ring is etched inside the K1 syringe barrel, and a disk on the plunger locks into the ring so that an emptied syringe cannot be re-used. The K1 syringe costs the same as standard models and its design is openly licensed to manufacturers. To date, over one billion K1 syringes have been made, saving an estimated 3 million lives.
