Advancing TB Test Technology, Where It Matters Most

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/advancing-tb-test-technology-where-it-matters-most

Jens Erik Gould

The New York Times

12 June 2015

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Tuberculosis is still a rampant problem in the developing world. Doctors are looking for even more advanced ways to test for TB beyond the GeneXpert tests.

An End to Polio in India?

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/an-end-to-polio-in-india

Esha Chhabra

The New York Times

5 March 2014

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India has, for years, been a hotbed of polio. Supported by the WHO as well as local health-care workers, immunizations have officially rid the country of the disease. There are still challenges in maintaining records and reaching everyone, but the message continously changes and adapts.

Better Hand-Washing Through Technology

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/better-hand-washing-through-technology

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

25 April 2011

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Washing hands in between contact with patients is one of the most important things a healthcare worker can do to prevent the spread of disease and reduce the rise of superbugs like MRSA. A new technology is increasing rates of hand washing by displaying, via a sensor in an employee's badge, whether the healthcare provider has washed their hands recently.

Fighting TB with a Drive-in Film and Test

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/fighting-tb-with-a-drive-in-film-and-test

Amy Maxmen

The New York Times

3 April 2015

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Slow test results make it difficult to stop the spread of tuberculosis. Using faster diagnostic technology and driving vans to rural areas in Tanzania, GeneXpert is making progress in treating this curable disease.

For V.A. Hospitals (and Patients), a Major Health Victory

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/for-v-a-hospitals-and-patients-a-major-health-victory

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

30 January 2015

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Although patients go to hospitals to receive medical care, many Americans will acquire infections that did not already have them. The United States as a whole has made modest progress at reducing the rates of hospital-acquired infections. Spearheading the efforts, the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers have devised anti-MRSA strategies to keep patients safe.

Getting to Zero': Are We Close to a Cure for AIDS?

http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/san-francisco-a-cure-for-aids

Rob Waters

Pacific Standard

17 August 2015

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For decades, AIDS has taken the lives of millions of people and infected millions more worldwide. The key to reducing the effect of AIDS, and even potentially curing it, involves treating patients as early as possible after being diagnosed with HIV, before the disease damages organs. San Francisco General Hospital developed the RAPID program for this purpose, with the goal of “Getting to Zero” the number of new infections and deaths.

Nigeria's polio endgame and a chance to improve struggling routine vaccination services

http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-medicine/2015/09/03/nigerias-polio-endgame-and-a-chance-to-improve-struggling-routine-vaccination-services

Nancy Fullman

Alexandra Wollum

On Medicine

3 September 2015

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In light of a study published in BMC Medicine, authors Nancy Fullman and Alexandra Wollum take a deeper dive into Nigeria’s gains against polio and what they could mean for the country’s routine vaccine systems.

Lessons From America's Safest Hospitals

http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-04-2013/safe-health-care.html?intcmp=HPBB1F

Beth Howard

AARP Magazine

1 April 2013

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An estimated 6,000 "never events" — egregious errors like operations on the wrong limb or instruments left inside a surgical wound — occur every month among Medicare patients alone. Hospitals across the country are revamping their care programs to stop preventable injuries and deaths.

In India, a Small Pill, With Positive Side Effects

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/in-india-a-small-pill-with-positive-side-effects

Amy Yee

The New York Times

4 April 2012

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In the developing world, intestinal worms stunt physical and mental growth, drain energy, and can inhibit school work for children. Deworm the World is a global campaign that lobbied the Delhi government to regularly distribute deworming pills to school children. The benefits decrease student absenteeism and increase cost-saving measures.

How Iran Derailed a Health Crisis

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/how-iran-derailed-a-health-crisis

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

3 December 2010

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Two columns on how Iran is treating its massive epidemic of injecting drug use by tackling it as a health problem, effectively lowering H.I.V. rates among drug users using an approach to drugs known as harm reduction.