been suggested that institute for oneworld health be merged into this article . discuss proposed since april 2016 . path type nonprofit organization founded 1977 headquarters seattle key people steve davis president and ceo revenue us 330 000 000 as of 2012 1 number of employees 1100 website http www.path.org path formerly called the program for appropriate technology in health is an international nonprofit global health organization based in seattle with 1200 employees in more than 30 offices around the world . its president and ceo is steve davis . path s tagline is driving transformative innovation to save lives . contents 1 history 2 path s work 2.1 health technologies 2.1.1 vaccine and pharmaceutical technologies 2.1.2 nutrition 2.1.3 sexual and reproductive health 2.1.4 water and sanitation 2.2 vaccines and immunization 2.2.1 meningitis 2.2.2 rotavirus 2.2.3 japanese encephalitis 2.3 epidemic diseases 2.3.1 malaria 2.3.2 hiv 2.4 maternal and child health 3 where path works 4 funding and expenses 5 controversies 6 recognition 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit path headquarters in seattle founded in 1977 with a focus on family planning path soon broadened its purpose to work on a wide array of emerging and persistent global health issues in the areas of health technologies maternal health child health reproductive health vaccines and immunization and emerging and epidemic diseases such as hiv malaria and tuberculosis . since 2000 path has expanded from about 300 employees and an annual budget of 60 million to in 2012 a payroll of 1 200 people working in 22 countries and a budget of 305 million . path is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in global health today . 2 path s headquarters are in the south lake union seattle neighborhood close to several other global health organizations including the bill & melinda gates foundation . 3 path s work edit path s vision is a world where innovation ensures that health is within reach for everyone . its mission is to improve the health of people around the world by advancing technologies strengthening systems and encouraging healthy behaviors . 4 path is best known for developing and adapting technologies such as improved vaccination devices and new tools to prevent cervical cancer to address the health needs of developing countries . it targets health problems evaluates possible solutions and assesses whether they would be useful in finding health solutions . 3 steve davis path s ceo has described the organization s role as a bridge builder and innovator on the global stage . 5 health technologies edit path develops adapts and advances technologies focused on disease diagnostics vaccine delivery nutrition reproductive health water and sanitation and other areas . vaccine and pharmaceutical technologies edit one of path s best known technologies is the vaccine vial monitor a small sticker that adheres to a vaccine vial and changes color as the vaccine is exposed to heat over time . the sticker helps health workers know when a vaccine has reached its preset temperature limit and can no longer be safely used . it promotes more reliable vaccinations as well as cost savings because health workers no longer have to throw out vaccine just because they suspect it has gone bad . unicef requires these monitors on all vaccines it purchases . 6 another vaccine technology developed by path is the uniject injection system . the single dose autodisabling injection system consists of a needle attached to a small bubble of plastic that is prefilled with medication . the system is designed to prevent disease transmission and enable health workers with only a little training to administer vaccine and other drugs in remote villages . 7 nutrition edit path develops nutrition focused innovations such as ultra rice a manufactured micronutrient fortified grain that can be mixed with rice to fight malnutrition in countries where rice is a staple food . 8 made of rice flour micronutrients and nutrient protecting ingredients ultra rice can mimic the look and taste of local rice and deliver the specific micronutrients a population needs . ultra rice has been produced and tested in several countries including brazil burundi and india where it has been served in school lunch programs . 9 10 path is working with partners in cambodia to distribute ultra rice through food assistance programs and deepen the evidence base for rice fortification . in brazil path has partnered with a commercial rice producer to sell ultra rice on supermarket shelves and reach 10 million low income consumers in three years . 11 sexual and reproductive health edit several path technologies address sexual and reproductive health including the carehpv test developed in conjunction with qiagen as the first molecular diagnostic to screen for human papillomavirus hpv the most common cause of cervical cancer in clinics in low resource settings . china s state food and drug administration approved the test for sale beginning in january 2013 followed by india and other emerging markets . 12 the test is designed specifically for use in clinics that lack reliable clean water or electricity . the silcs diaphragm a one size fits most contraceptive device . the device differs from traditional latex diaphragms in that it is made of silicone instead of latex is designed to hold up to extreme temperatures and poor storage conditions common in developing countries and will not require a doctor s fitting . 13 the woman s condom a new female condom designed to be more acceptable to both partners than other female condoms plus easier to use more secure less noisy and more comfortable . 14 path transferred production of the condom to dahua medical apparatus company in china in 2008 . the condom has received regulatory approvals in china and the european union and became commercially available in china in late 2011 . 15 path employs a user driven design process for its reproductive technologies to meet women s specific needs . 16 water and sanitation edit path looks at ways to improve water quality in developing countries including helping companies develop low cost filters gadgets and other water treatment products to stimulate a commercial market and keep prices low . 17 vaccines and immunization edit path is working with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to support the development of vaccines for diseases such as meningitis 18 and pneumonia and to help countries introduce vaccines for childhood illnesses such as rotavirus and japanese encephalitis . meningitis edit path and the world health organization through the meningitis vaccine project led the development of a vaccine called menafrivac to end meningitis a epidemics in sub saharan africa where 450 million people in 26 countries are at risk of the disease . the vaccine was developed by serum institute of india and introduced in burkina faso mali and niger in december 2010 to prevent the spread of a strain of meningitis found only in africa . within six months the vaccine eliminated new cases of meningitis a in the areas where it was introduced . 18 by the end of 2012 the vaccine had reached 100 million people in ten countries benin burkina faso cameroon chad ghana mali niger nigeria senegal and sudan . 19 the introduction of menafrivac marked the first time that a vaccine was developed for a disease only found in africa . 20 previously used meningitis vaccines had low efficacy and cost usd 80 per dose . the new vaccine has high efficacy against the type of meningitis that is most prevalent in africa and costs less than 0.50 per dose . 21 the entire vaccination research and development project cost less than us 100 million about one fifth the typical cost for developing a vaccine . 22 in 2012 menafrivac was also approved for storage without refrigeration for up to four days enabling health workers to more easily reach patients in rural villages or in areas with no power . 23 rotavirus edit path supports the introduction of vaccines against rotavirus in developing countries to protect young children from severe diarrhea . in 2006 path helped nicaragua become the first developing country to introduce rotavirus vaccines within months of their introduction . 24 former path researcher john wecker noted that rotavirus infections dropped in areas that began to use the vaccine after the who recommended its international use in 2009 . 25 path also conducts research to show the impact of rotavirus vaccines and help countries choose whether to adopt the vaccines into their immunization programs . 26 japanese encephalitis edit path is working with india and other countries in the region to introduce an affordable vaccine to protect against japanese encephalitis a disease the world health organization estimates claims 10 000 to 15 000 lives a year mostly children and causes permanent brain damage in many more . 27 in 2006 path helped the government of india launch an immunization campaign to reach millions of children in high risk areas with the vaccine . 28 path has also supported successful immunization campaigns in cambodia north korea and other countries to reach more than 60 million children . 29 epidemic diseases edit part of path s work focuses on some of the most widespread and threatening global diseases malaria hiv aids tuberculosis and influenza . malaria edit the path malaria vaccine initiative supports several malaria vaccine candidates at various stages of development around the world including the most advanced candidate called rts s. researchers are studying rts s made by glaxosmithkline in phase 3 clinical trials among infants and young children in sub saharan africa . interim results of the study released in 2011 showed the vaccine provided about 50 percent protection against malaria for young children ages 5 to 17 months . interim study results released in 2012 showed rts s reduced cases of malaria among infants by 33 percent . 30 in october 2013 glaxosmithkline reported that the experimental vaccine reduced the amount of cases amongst young children by almost 50 percent and among infants by around 25 percent following the conclusion of an 18 month clinical trial . glaxosmithkline is set to submit an application for a marketing license with the european medicines agency ema in 2014 . the new vaccine has the backing of the un s swiss based who which states that it will recommend the use of rts s for use starting in 2015 providing it gets approval . 31 another path initiative to address malaria is the malaria control and evaluation partnership in africa macepa which focuses on controlling malaria through the use of insecticide treated bednets indoor spraying of insecticides new diagnostic tools to find infection and effective medicines for treatment . 32 in zambia this work has helped decrease the rate of malaria among children younger than age 5 by 50 percent in two years . 32 in december 2012 path received an award from the us president s malaria initiative for a new malaria project focused on the expansion of high quality diagnosis and treatment for malaria and other childhood illnesses and infectious diseases . 33 path s drug development program which grew out of an affiliation with oneworld health is advancing a new semisynthetic form of the malaria drug artemisinin that will bolster the current volatile botanical supply . 34 35 in august 2014 path and sanofi announced the release of the first batch of semisynthetic artemisinin . 1.7 million doses of sanofi s artesunate amodiaquine winthrop asaq winthrop a fixed dose artemisinin based combination therapy will be shipped to half a dozen african countries over the next few months . 36 hiv edit path works in africa asia and other regions to slow the spread of hiv aids and provide support for people affected by the disease . in kenya where path has worked for more than 20 years the organization conducts research into multipurpose prevention technologies that can protect women from hiv and pregnancy 37 and provides support groups and health services for married adolescents and other