Silicon Valley Techpreneurs To Come To Zika Rescue
Inder Singh a silicon valley tech entrepreneur is trying to put smart thermometers developed by his company, Kinsa, into the hands of people around the world. "I like to describe it as the health weather, being able to show people what is going around," he said. He envisions a day where looking at a map of your community's health is as common as looking at the weather.
The San Francisco-based company is launching a new program aimed at helping people in areas on high-alert for Zika. Clinics can apply for free Kinsa stick thermometers, which can then be distributed to patients.
The stick model plugs into a smartphone and using an accompanying app, records a person's temperature. They're able to leave notes, tag symptoms, and get basic medical guidance. If a user opts in, their anonymized health data will go toward creating a group health map, letting people in a community get a real-time picture of illness.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said he's "glad they're thinking of it" but doesn't see the free thermometer program "as a major step" right now when it comes to combating Zika."We think is interesting for any illness and it is particularly interesting in panic-stricken areas like Miami-Dade because as soon as you feel a symptom, you are going to be like 'What is this?' You have access to the power of the crowd, to compare notes," Singh said.