Innovative Thinking at Uniprint Helps Quell Ebola Outbreak

Fighting Ebola Outbreak: Uniprint’s Innovative Solution Saves Lives

When the Ebola virus exploded in West Africa in 2014 the world held its breath. Unpredictable, highly contagious and lethal, the disease tore through West African countries who struggled to contain the Ebola outbreak due to a lack of infrastructure and poor crisis control.

It was against the backdrop of this epidemic that an unlikely hero came to the forefront – introducing a ground breaking product which assisted doctors and nurses working around the clock at pop-up clinics in Sierra Leone.

The purpose of these clinics was to perform blood tests on thousands of people to determine if they were carrying the disease and needed to be quarantined.

Each patient’s information was filled out on a form which was linked to their blood sample via two corresponding barcodes. However, as the Ebola virus is transferred through bodily fluids it could be contracted from a contaminated vial. As a result, to ensure accurate testing, each vial needed to be disinfected. However, the disinfecting process, affected the integrity of the barcode labels, making them unreadable and rendering the patient’s information inaccessible.

To combat this labelling problem, The World Health Organisation (WHO) put out a global call to develop a solution. The Nation Health Laboratory Service of South Africa, who had previously commissioned Uniprint for similar blood books, notified the WHO that they knew a company who may be able to help. The Uniprint team immediately began researching and conducting trial runs to come up with an urgent solution.

After 3 – 4 months of research and testing, Uniprint developed the Ebola Clinical Specimen and Laboratory Testing books, each of which contained 25 sets of Ebola Investigation Forms. The barcoded labels in the books were the game changing development. These labels were covered in a European imported plastic film and die cut on Uniprint’s Hunkler Web Finishing Machine. This made them impervious to water, ensuring the unique barcodes on each testing vial wouldn’t fade or run when being disinfected.

The initial order of 4000 books enabled doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone to test 100 000 people. As a result, for the first time in the outbreak they were able to crucially match the right information to the right blood sample.

Uniprint’s simple solution to this global problem saw their unique innovation trump larger companies in Europe and around the world.

“People label us as a printing company,” said National Sales and Technical Manager, Stuart Harris, “but we’re more than printers. We’re problem solvers. We had the materials and we found the solution to a worldwide problem. We’re incredibly proud that we could help make a difference”.

Uniprint’s development of the Ebola Case Investigation Form may be a small part of the greater scheme, but it made all the difference in an epidemic which posed a global threat.

Once again Uniprint has proven to be an effective problem solver and a reliable partner in crisis situations. When it comes to new projects and new solutions, Uniprint continues to shine and in the face of international catastrophe they have shown that even a printing company from Durban can make a big difference.

FAQs and Answers

1. What problem did Uniprint solve during the Ebola outbreak?

Uniprint solved a critical labelling issue during the Ebola outbreak where disinfecting blood sample vials caused barcode labels to fade or become unreadable, making patient data inaccessible.

2. Why were barcode labels failing in Ebola testing clinics?

Barcode labels failed because the disinfecting process required to prevent contamination damaged the ink and material of standard labels, causing the codes to run or fade.

3. How did Uniprint make the barcode labels waterproof?

Uniprint covered the barcoded labels with a European imported plastic film and die cut them using a Hunkler Web Finishing Machine, making them resistant to water and disinfectants.

4. How many people were tested using Uniprint’s solution?

The initial order of 4000 Ebola Clinical Specimen and Laboratory Testing books enabled healthcare workers in Sierra Leone to test approximately 100000 people.

5. Who requested a solution to the Ebola labelling problem?

The World Health Organisation requested a global solution to the labelling issue, and the National Health Laboratory Service of South Africa connected them with Uniprint.

6. What are Ebola Clinical Specimen and Laboratory Testing books?

These are specialised investigation books containing 25 sets of Ebola Investigation Forms, each linked to durable barcoded labels that match patient details to blood samples accurately.

7. Why was accurate barcode matching so important during the Ebola outbreak?

Accurate barcode matching ensured that test results were linked to the correct patient, preventing diagnostic errors and helping to control the spread of the virus.

8. How did Uniprint’s innovation compare to larger international companies?

Uniprint’s practical and material based solution outperformed larger European and global competitors by delivering a fast, reliable and field tested product suited to crisis conditions.