Brazilian Doctor Crafts System Hailed As 'Way Forward' For Combating Zika

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/10/473632280/brazilian-doctor-eases-tough-logistics-of-treating-zika?utm_campaign=npr&utm_content=20160410%0D%0A&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

NPR

10 April 2016

Radio / 3-5 Minutes

Pediatric cardiologist Sandra Mattos had set up a network of doctors and hospitals working with tiny heart patients via telemedicine. Her system now also helps remote Zika sufferers.

Educate Your Immune System

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/opinion/sunday/educate-your-immune-system.html

Moises Velasquez-Manoff

The New York Times

3 June 2016

Text / Under 800 Words

Why do poorer countries like Russia have much lower rates of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes? Preventing autoimmune disorders may require emulating aspects of that “dirtier” world: safely bottling the kinds of microbes that protect the Russian kids, so we can give them to everyone and guide the “postmodern” immune system along a healthier path of development.

Treating the Village to Cure the Disease

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/treating-the-village-to-cure-the-villagers

Jason Silverstein

The New York Times

6 November 2013

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In communities across Africa, health workers are going house to house with medicine to combat lymphatic filariasis, which is the world’s second-largest cause of chronic disability. They are participating in a strategy called mass drug administration, which treats everyone in an area where a disease is found – even if they aren’t sick or infected.

On AIDS: Three Lessons From Africa

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/on-aids-three-lessons-from-africa

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

31 July 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Three African countries are successfully reducing the transmission of HIV through treatment and education, surpassing many developed countries in reducing cases. Although each is unique, the key lessons include using comprehensive, community-based approaches and strategies that involve collective action.

Scientists search Palau's coral reefs for new anti-cancer drugs

http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-02-24/scientists-search-palaus-coral-reefs-new-anti-cancer-drugs

Ari Daniel Shapiro

Public Radio International (PRI)

24 February 2014

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

Often it is faster and easier to harvest molecules for medical purposes from nature than to make them in a laboratory. A scientist is looking for cancer-fighting molecules in coral and sponges in the tropical Pacific.

HPV Vaccine Is Credited in Fall of Teenagers' Infection Rate

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/health/study-finds-sharp-drop-in-hpv-infections-in-girls.html?_r=1&hp

Sabrina Tavernise

The New York Times

19 June 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

The human papillomavirus is a primary cause of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine has reduced the rate of infection by half in recent years among teenagers. However, the vaccine has still encountered resistance by some social conservatives.

The Race for a Zika Vaccine

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/22/the-race-for-a-zika-vaccine

Siddhartha Mukherjee

The New Yorker

22 August 2016

Text / Over 3000 Words

In the past two years, Zika virus has arisen as one of the most pressing public health concerns. This piece charts the worldwide efforts by doctors using new technology to develop a vaccine for Zika.

As Cancer Tears Through Africa, Drug Makers Draw Up a Battle Plan

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/07/health/africa-cancer-drugs.html?_r=1

Donald G. McNeil Jr.

The New York Times

7 October 2017

Text / Over 3000 Words

Two major pharmaceutical companies are offering discount cancer drugs in some African countries in an initiative modeled on the aids campaign. In African countries access to cancer treatment is scarce due to high prices of medicine, lack of medical staff and equipment and lack of awareness about the disease among the population; leading to higher death rates than in the developed world. The partnership to combat this also includes the American Cancer Society and IBM who are working to simplify cancer treatment guidelines and to make them available as an online tool to any hospital with an internet connection

Code for Cancer

http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/code-for-cancer

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

The Philadelphia Citizen

25 October 2017

Text / 800-1500 Words

Launched in September 2017, Cognoma is a database of information regarding the genetic makeup of cancerous tumors developed in collaboration between University of Pennsylvania researchers and Philadelphia’s tech community. Looking for a way to help their community and convinced of the value of the project, people donated their time and coding talents and built the database piece by piece. The database—as well as the programming behind it—are publicly available for researchers to utilize and adapt to other ends.

Even the Insured Often Can't Afford Their Medical Bills

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/06/medical-bills/530679

Helaine Olen

The Atlantic

18 June 2017

Text / Over 3000 Words

As the cost of care and medication continues to rise, many people find themselves underinsured and unprotected from a financial crisis when facing a medical emergency or ongoing treatment for a chronic disease. To address this issue, programs are working to assist people with paying for the costs of care and avoiding bankruptcy based on diagnosis, employment history, or individual pleas on crowdfunding sites. While these programs can make an impact, the need is much larger than the funding available and it is often difficult for patients to find and apply for these funds.