newborn – PressAP

KEMRI and NEC Announce Trials on Biometric-based Vaccination Management System for Newborn Children in Kenya

February 7, 2023

TOKYO, Feb 7, 2023 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), NEC Corporation (NEC) and Nagasaki University, Japan, have developed a digital biometric-based vaccination management system for newborn children in Kenya. Validation of this system is taking place through KEMRI with a clinical trial that began in September 2022 at the Kinango Sub-County Hospital in Kwale and initial results are very encouraging. Hospital staff member scanning a newborn's fingerprintScreenshot from the vaccination management system (fingerprint data registration page)Screenshot from the vaccination management system (vaccination data registration page)The digital system being provided by NEC, a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, and KEMRI, one of Africa's leading research Institutions, will effectively and seamlessly manage vaccination history and scheduling using fingerprint identification for newborn children and voice recognition for caregivers.This technology marks the first time that biometric identification is being used at a hospital to identify newborn children at the time of vaccination, including those immediately after delivery(1). As of November 2022, data from more than 300 caregivers and newborns had been registered, including the vaccination histories of more than 150 newborns. The new technology combines fingerprint identification for children and voice recognition for caregivers to confirm not only their identity, but also to reliably manage vaccination histories and schedules, thereby promoting the implementation of appropriate vaccinations for newborns and children during the first 24 months of life. Going forward, demonstration tests that network among multiple hospitals will begin, aiming for full-scale introduction throughout Kenya by the end of 2023, and more international deployment in the future. "We are excited that KEMRI together with its partners, is spearheading this landmark study that identifies newborns using a biometric and a vaccination management system that is not only in real time, but is also expected to support policy and action towards the attainment of better health outcomes and Universal Health Coverage. I am happy to announce that this tool will be validated by KEMRI researchers in partnership with Kinango Sub-County Hospital in Kwale, NEC Corporation and Nagasaki University," said Prof. Sam Kariuki, Acting Director General, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)"I expect that this vaccination management system, including newborn fingerprint biometric technology, will expand the coverage of vaccinations for children under 24 months old through accurate identification methods for mothers and children in Kenya. I also express great expectations for this research to act as a guideline for precise vaccination management featuring newborn and caregiver identification to become an important contributor to Universal Health Coverage," said Prof. Miriam Khamadi Were, Laureate, 1st Hideyo Noguchi Africa PrizeThe system utilizes voice recognition to identify caregivers, as well as fingerprint patterns to ensure that newborns are appropriately matched with the identified caregivers. Since voice recognition can be performed almost instantaneously, this system can minimize the burden placed on caregivers. Medical institutions can also introduce voice recognition with little to no change to existing procedures. Rather than using conventional fingerprint authentication methods to identify newborns, researchers developed a new method with which fingerprint pattern information is extracted from fingerprint images and a newborn child can be identified by combining fingerprint pattern data from multiple fingers.Importance of and challenges associated with vaccinationsMany children around the world continue to lose their lives at a very young age. In 2020 alone, approximately 5 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday, even without taking into account the impact of COVID-19. Furthermore, about half of these children under the age of five, or 2.4 million children, passed away within 28 days of birth, with many of these deaths considered preventable(2).Meanwhile, in some regions in the world, the use of digital technology has not advanced due to delays in the development of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. In these regions, basic information such as who was born, when, where, and what type of medical services they have received may only be recorded by hand. In such cases, health care providers cannot easily ascertain which medical services are needed for the caregivers and children who visit their hospitals, which is one of the factors hindering efforts to ensure that children receive the vaccinations they need. Procedures for using this system in hospitals.The trial at this hospital is being conducted in accordance with the following procedures.1. Register the caregiver's voice and the newborn's fingerprint patterns on the day of birth (four fingers in total: left thumb, right thumb, left index finger, right index finger).2. Hospital staff encourage caregivers to return to the hospital according to the prescribed vaccination schedule.3. Caregivers are identified using voice recognition when they state their names at the time of their hospital visits, and their children are identified based on database information.4. Scan fingerprints from four fingers using a special scanner. Verify the child's identity by matching the data from the previous step with the pattern extracted from the scanned fingerprints.5. Administer the prescribed vaccination(s) and register the vaccination history in the system.Overview of the trial- Implementation period: September 2022 to March 2023- Hospital: Kinango Sub-County Hospital in Kwale- Participants: Approximately 1,000 caregivers and newborns who elect to participate in this trial (data has been registered for approximately 300 individuals as of the end of November 2022)- Description of trial: Using the vaccination management system, the hospital records information on the physical characteristics of newborns at the time of birth as well as the history of and schedule for administration of eight different vaccines and one vitamin supplement up to 24 months after birth to verify the effectiveness of and issues related to the system. The voice and fingerprint pattern data acquired will be used only for the current purpose of this trial and will be deleted after its completion.Identification using fingerprint patternsThis system uses NEC technology to classify fingerprint images collected from multiple fingers of a newborn (a total of four fingers: left thumb, right thumb, left index finger, right index finger) into five categories according to the shape of each whorl(3) and then registers the fingerprint pattern data. The system also combines pattern-based classification with NEC's voice recognition to improve accuracy when verifying the identity of caregivers and newborns. These efforts to increase vaccination coverage support Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.2, "By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births." The efforts also contribute to the realization of SDG 16.9, "By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration," by providing all newborns with a record of parent-child relationships and birth location information, as well as a means of identification.(1) NEC research as of February 7, 2023(2) Source: Levels and trends in child mortality, Report 2021, UN-IGMEnew windowhttps://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality/(3) The number of categories is under verification and may be changed in the future About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com. Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

Newborn Town releases its 2022 Interim Results; Breakthrough in core social networking business, accelerated diversified growth

August 30, 2022

HONG KONG, Aug 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - On August 25, Newborn Town Inc. (9911.HK) released its 2022 interim results. For the half ended June 30, the Company's total revenue reached RMB 1,374 million, up 32.3% YoY; adjusted EBITDA reached RMB 210 million, up 19.5% YoY; profit attributable to the owner of the Company reached RMB 83 million, up 121.3% YoY.The Company's successful model of social networking business continues to be replicated around the world. Its social networking revenue reached RMB 1,266 million, a growth of 52.4% YoY, indicating a steady breakthrough in the core business. At the same time, with the smooth progress of refined games, the Company's revenue from its innovative businesses totaled RMB 108 million, a rise of 91.7% compared to H2 2021, marking an accelerated diversified development.- 'Replication in Products' + 'Replication in Markets' showing social networking products spread globallyNewborn Town has long focused on global open social networking, and has built an audio and video social networking product matrix, including MICO, an open social platform, YoHo, an audio-based social product, and Yumy, a video-matching social product. As of June 30, the Company's social products had accumulated 419 million downloads. Average MAUs (monthly active users) in the second quarter reached 23.09 million, representing an increase of 27% YoY.With years of experience in exploring global markets as well as audio and video technology, Newborn Town has distilled a "replicable" model for its social networking business.In terms of the products, the Company has accumulated successful experiences and applied those to new products, so as to promote fast growth and to expand their commercialization space. For instance, launched last year, Yumy has seen gross profit and become one of the top 10 best-selling social networking apps in 50 countries/regions after continuous optimization of its business model. It is a typical case of "Replication in Products".In terms of markets, Newborn Town landed in new markets rapidly while consolidating its leading position in the markets where the Company has established a competitive edge. By now, YoHo, the product which started from the MENA region, has been successfully replicated in the market of pan-Southeast Asia. In the first half of the year, revenue from Non-MENA regions accounted for nearly 40% of YoHo's overall revenue, which proved significant to increase YoHo's revenue by more than 70% YoY.Through 'Replication in Products' + 'Replication in Markets', Newborn Town found equal success in replicating its proven model of a single product to multiple products, and its success in a single market to multiple markets. The Company will keep developing mega-apps to cover global markets in more directions to realize strong and promising growth.- Diversified growth accelerated as games show impressive monetization potentialIn addition to the social networking business, the Company also made important breakthroughs in its innovative businesses that consists mainly of games in the first half of the year. The loss from the game business has narrowed significantly, which was one of the major reasons for the doubled profit attributable to the owner of the Company.Specifically, products of the Company's Merge game series, "Mergeland - Animal Adventure" and "Mergeland - Alice's Adventure" were formally launched in April and June respectively. The series received rapidly increasing downloads and revenue after launch, and has become one of the top 10 best-sellers in the categories of puzzle and casual games in seven countries.Bubble Shooter Star, another refined game by Newborn Town, also has good performance as indicated by the figures (e.g.: retention on the 30th day is above 15%) after it was launched at the beginning of this year. The game has shown great monetization potential as at present, its monthly revenue has reached the USD 1 million level.In the second half of the year, further efforts will be made to promote the game experience, the user volume, and the monetization of the three games, so as to solidify the innovative businesses as a new point for growth. What's more, the Company's Metaverse layout has been further enriched. In the first half of the year, it built partnerships with leading virtual technology companies to explore the creation of digital virtual characters, the construction of virtual scenes, the empowerment of AI virtual technology and other aspects. It also invested in Shi Mi Network, a smart wearable devices manufacturer, to take the "portal" of the Metaverse and accelerate the deep integration of the Company's social products with the Metaverse.Big progresses of the innovative businesses have further accelerated the diversified growth of the Company, and the second growth curve is becoming clearer.- Consolidated advantages and extended borders to keep high-quality developmentThe Company's commitment to R&D is a precondition for its performance breakthroughs. In the first half of the year, the Company's R&D expenses were RMB 91 million, up 69.6% YoY. As of June 30, the Company's R&D team expanded by 30.6% compared with December 31 2021. At the same time, through continuous cost optimization efforts, the Company's selling and marketing expenses in the first half totaled RMB 199 million, down 31.8% YoY.On the other hand, the Company has persisted in localized operations to pursue Longtermism. It conducts in-depth operations and brand building efforts based on the understanding and respect of local cultures, and tries to integrate into the local industry and social development through industry media gathering and public welfare charities.In the first half of the year, MICO released a theme song MV for Thailand, which was created and performed by a well-known local band. The song has been played for more than 90 million times due to its lively style catering to the local youth. It became a hit on local social media in a short time and aroused a boom of dance imitations that made the relaxed and cheerful style of the Company's social products rooted in the hearts of local users.In the MENA market which the Company has deeply explored, Newborn Town, as a leading social networking company in the local market, held an industry media gathering of more than 20 local media. It helped the local market to establish a positive understanding about online social entertainment while promoting the development of the industry in the region.With the continuous increase of R&D investment and the further promotion of localized operation, the Company's technology and operation middle platforms have become increasingly mature. Jointly, these strengths favored the Company in promoting the rapid upgrading of its social products in terms of user experience, market expansion and content distribution, and further accelerating the development of its social networking business. In the future, Newborn Town will continue to enrich its product matrix, expand its market layout, optimize its operating efficiency, and explore diversified development opportunities to extend its boundaries. The Company will accelerate its progress towards the goal of "becoming the largest global open social networking platform". For further information, please contact:PEANUT MEDIA LIMITEDDirect Line: 0755-61619798+8210Email: hswh.project@czgmcn.com Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)