Jason Beaubien

Haiti Moves A Step Closer Toward Eradicating Elephantiasis

Jason Beaubien — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Haiti has finally carried out a nationwide campaign to get rid of the parasitic worms that cause elephantiasis.

Haiti has waged other campaigns against the condition, characterized by severe disfiguration of the legs and arms.

Faces Of Drug-Resistant TB

Jason Beaubien — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:17:00 +0000

Forms of tuberculosis are emerging that are costly, difficult and at times, nearly impossible to treat. This new, worldwide threat is called multidrug-resistant TB, and it occurs when the bacteria no longer respond to the most common TB medications.

Moldova Grapples With Whether To Isolate TB Patients

Jason Beaubien — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. We heard yesterday about efforts here in the U.S. to fight tuberculosis, often successfully. But in many parts of the world, tuberculosis is not only out of control, the germ is becoming even more dangerous. Strains of TB have emerged that are difficult, if not impossible to treat.

WERTHEIMER: It's reviving an old debate about tuberculosis, whether it's better to isolate patients in a sanatorium or treat them at home.

Love In The Time Of TB: A Young Family Fights An Ancient Foe

Jason Beaubien — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 21:59:00 +0000

Oxana and Pavel Rucsineanu fell in love under the drug-induced haze of powerful tuberculosis medications. It was the summer of 2008. They were both in their late 20s, and they should have been in the prime of their lives.

But instead, Oxana and Pavel had a version of TB that is resistant to most drugs. They were living in a crumbling hospital in the Moldovan city of Balti. The TB ward was a version of hell for Oxana. The air was hot and sticky.

Saving Newborns: 'Kangaroo Care' Could Go A Long Way

Jason Beaubien — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:08:00 +0000

In the developing world, a baby's first day of life is often the most perilous.

Roughly 3 million newborns die each year, the nonprofit Save the Children reported Tuesday.