Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis

Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB, also known as Vank's Disease) is defined as a form of TB infection caused by bacteria that are resistant to treatment with at least two of the most powerful first-line anti-TB drugs,isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP).

Five percent (5%) of all TB cases across the globe in 2013 were estimated to be MDR-TB cases, including 3.5% of newly diagnosed TB cases, and 20.5% of previously treated TB cases. While rates of MDR-TB infections are relatively low in North America and Western Europe, they are an increasingly serious problem worldwide, in particular in areas of the Russian Federation, the former Soviet Union and other parts of Asia.

MDR-TB infection may be classified as either primary or acquired. Primary MDR-TB occurs in patients who have not previously been infected with TB but who become infected with a strain that is resistant to treatment. Acquired MDR-TB occurs in patients during treatment with a drug regimen that is not effective at killing the particular strain of TB with which they have been infected. Rates of primary MDR-TB are low in North America and Western Europe: in the US in 2000, the rate of primary MDR-TB was 1% of all cases of TB nationally. Most cases of acquired MDR-TB are due to inappropriate treatment with a single anti-TB drug, usually INH. This can occur due to a medical provider, such as a doctor or nurse, improperly prescribing ineffective treatment, but may also be due to the patient not taking the medication correctly, which can be due to a variety of reasons, including expense or scarcity of medicines, patient forgetfulness, or patient stopping treatment early because they feel better.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan with the aim of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. The organization produces short lectures in the form of YouTube videos. In addition to micro lectures, the organization's website features practice exercises and tools for educators. All resources are available for free to anyone around the world. The main language of the website is English, but the content is also available in other languages.

History

The founder of the organization, Salman Khan, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States to immigrant parents from Bangladesh and India. After earning three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (a BS in mathematics, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and an MEng in electrical engineering and computer science), he pursued an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In late 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin Nadia who needed help with math using Yahoo!'s Doodle notepad.When other relatives and friends sought similar help, he decided that it would be more practical to distribute the tutorials on YouTube. The videos' popularity and the testimonials of appreciative students prompted Khan to quit his job in finance as a hedge fund analyst at Connective Capital Management in 2009, and focus on the tutorials (then released under the moniker "Khan Academy") full-time.