Fingerprint scans ‘can enhance vaccination tracking in infants’

Tracking of vaccination programmes in developing nations could be enhanced through the use of fingerprint scanning technology.

Researchers from Michigan State University have developed a fingerprint-based recognition method to track vaccination schedules for infants and toddlers. This makes it easy for doctors to know what treatments a child has already had and what they are scheduled to receive.

The traditional tracking method is for parents to keep a paper document, but in poorer countries especially this is an ineffective system that is open to disruption. Indeed, the lack or loss of information is the primary problem in the vaccine delivery system in third-world nations.

It is now hoped that a longitudinal study can be conducted to ensure that fingerprints of babies can be successfully matched over time.

Professor Anil Jain of Michigan State University said: "We will continue to work on refining the fingerprint-matching software and finding the best reader to capture fingerprints of young children, which will be of immense global value."

The World Health Organization is seeking to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to existing vaccines for people in all communities.