Ideas change everything

1.3m reasons to re-invent the syringe

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Marc Koska |

TEDGlobal 2009

• July 2009

Reuse of syringes, all too common in under-funded clinics, kills 1.3 million each year. Marc Koska clues us in to this devastating global problem with facts, photos and hidden-camera footage. He shares his solution: a low-cost syringe that can't be used twice.

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Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Reuse of syringes, all too common in under-funded clinics, kills 1.3 million each year. Marc Koska clues us in to this devastating global problem with facts, photos and hidden-camera footage. He shares his solution: a low-cost syringe that can't be used twice.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

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Marc Koska wants to improve health care in the developing world by re-designing dangerous medical tools -- and offering education to practitioners in under-funded clinics.

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Since the Talk: Our future with "smart" syringes

Read how an HIV outbreak in a small Cambodian village underscores the importance of creating a safer syringe.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.