Vaccines have made headlines over the past few years, but what do you know about the syringes used to deliver them? Misused, syringes have the potential to spread more disease than the medicines they carry can prevent. Yet one innovation is eliminating that risk. Learn the simple solution making syringes safer for everyone.

Summary: This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Surabhi Rajaram, a Program Officer focused on Immunization Delivery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Surabhi shares how safe syringes are critical to vaccine delivery and life-saving immunization. A safe syringe prevents the spread of illness in that process. This is called the auto disabled syringe, which has a special feature that physically prevents the user from being able to withdraw the syringe again and includes a fixed needle and dose. As seen with COVID, a disease (health threat) in one place becomes a threat anywhere. A way to prepare for these threats is by investing in effective and scalable syringe manufacturing and considering how to improve the entire vaccine supply chain through innovations like the auto disabled syringe.

Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about

For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work:  https://www.gatesfoundation.org

To learn more about the topic of syringes:

* Vaccine Development and Surveillance: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-health/vaccine-development-and-surveillance

* Amid surging demand for syringes, a new investment supports long-term supply on the African continent: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/syringe-vaccine-distribution-in-africa

* PATH Syringe GAP analysis: https://www.path.org/resources/autodisable-syringe-gap-analysis/

* UNICEF Syringes explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckosI9k-yGU

Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com

Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host Jen Hatmaker.

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