8 innovations that will transform global health by 2030

Throughout the world, people are living longer and healthier lives. That's due in no small part to advances in simple and relatively cheap healthcare tools, like on-site rapid disease testing and lenses that turn smartphones into microscopes.

A new report from global health nonprofit PATH looks into 30 emerging global health innovations that will further transform the healthcare landscape by 2030. Selected from over 500 ideas submitted by healthcare experts around the world (including many from low and middle-income countries), these innovations could save countless lives over the years.

Here are some of the highlights.

Zimba's automated chlorinator fits onto community taps and hand pumps, automatically making up to 8,000 liters of water drinkable before needing a refill. The best part: it has no easily breakable moving parts, and doesn't require electricity. So far, it's been tested in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

An alternative to C-sections in places that lack the resources to perform them, the BD Odon Device is equipped with a plastic film that wraps around a baby's head. The device, which is currently in the early stages of development, can be pulled to gently ease the child out of its mother's birth canal.

When delivered in gel or liquid form, an antibacterial called chlorhexidine — often found in prescription mouthwash — can dramatically cut down infection risk for babies when applied to their umbilical cord's stump just after birth. It's cheap, affordable, and safe for even family members to use.

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