Health stories in the news
Donald McNeil, Jr. in the New York Times writes about new ways people are trying to predict the course outbreaks of diseases like swine flu by using computer simulations. One program tracks air and land travel information to predict the spread of disease. That program predicted correctly that New York, California and Texas would prove to be hotspots and that the number of cases that would turn up by Sunday would range between 150 and 170, not far off from the count of 226 identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- To learn more read McNeil’s piece: Predicting Flu With the Aid of Washington (Well, George).
Andrew Adam Newman in the New York Times’ business section writes about how some hospitals are using dramatic, unscripted ads featuring their patients. In one case a the ads show patients in the “throes of crises, with no inkling of their outcomes,” Newman writes.
- To learn more read Newman’s piece: No Actors, Just Patients in Unvarnished Spots for Hospitals.
The Tacoma News Tribune reporter Rob Carson writes that recent tax increases have pushed the price of cigarettes to more than $7.00 a pack. “The price increase already has caused a boom in the stop-smoking business, and for the families of smokers struggling to quit, has increased the tension already stretched by the economic slump,” Carson writes.
- To learn more read Carson’s piece: Priced out of the smoking habit.
Ann Zimmerman and Amy Merrick write in the Wall Street Journal that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is expanding its pilot program that offers businesses low-priced drugs if they agree to buy directly from Wal-Mart’s network of in-store pharmacies. The competition between Wal-Mart and other big pharmacies “to create more-efficient business plans for pricing and selling prescription drugs has the potential to spur changes across the pharmacy industry,” they write.
- To learn more read: Wal-Mart Expands Drug Program
Related posts:
Tax increases to raise the cost of cigarettes has been shown not to work to encourage smokers to quit – although it does generate more tax revenue. A better way to stop people smoking is to offer advice and support and recommend appropriate treatments.
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