Intercept: A $500M initiative to eliminate respiratory infections like colds and flu
By
Nan Ransohoff, Charlie Petty, Devin Sok
Summary
A deep analysis of the historical parallels between waterborne diseases (cholera, typhoid) that were eliminated through infrastructure and pharmaceutical advances, and the current burden of respiratory infections like colds and flu. The article introduces Intercept, a $500M initiative hosted at Stripe, aiming to make respiratory infections a thing of the past through scientific and technological innovation. It explores why respiratory viruses haven't seen the same transformation as waterborne diseases and outlines a bold vision for ending them.
Source
Hacker NewsIntercept: A $500M initiative to eliminate respiratory infections like colds and flublog.interceptfund.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledA century ago, waterborne diseases levied similar costs to those posed by respiratory viruses like colds and influenza today: endemic, periodically epidemic, and widely accepted as an inevitable feature of human life.
Then, at the turn of the twentieth century, we decided they didn't have to be.
Pharmaceutical advances and clean water infrastructure made cholera, typhoid, and dysentery rare across much of the world within a matter of decades.
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