· September, 2008

Stories about Health from September, 2008

Myanmar: Aid still needed

  29 September 2008

Five months after the devastating cyclone which killed and displaced at least a hundred thousand people, Myanmar is slowly recovering. Relief efforts may be improving but international aid is still very much needed.

Sierra Leone: No money, no doctor

  27 September 2008

No money, no doctor, writes a Sierra Leone based blogger, Sandra: “Last week I saw a little boy who was moderately sick. He had lost weight, had many palpable lymph nodes and a chest infection. I decided to treat as outpatient with a strong antibiotic and see the child again...

China: Infant Formula Scandal Highlights Decline in Breastfeeding

  24 September 2008

Health authorities in China reported this week that nearly 53,000 children have become sick after consuming tainted infant formula. As the effects of these contaminated dairy products become more widespread, many are discussing the alternative to formula — breastfeeding. The scandal erupted earlier this month when Sanlu, China's top-selling infant...

Belarus: Making it in the sausage competition

  22 September 2008

LJ user luchecon received a phone call [RUS] from his worried grandmother, that Belarus is cutting down the meat content in its sausage production, because it cannot meet the price competition with Russian sausages’ lower meat level. As it turns out, Belarus has a meat deficit, substituting it already with...

Armenia: Pro-Government Youth Group Formed

  21 September 2008

Unzipped comments on stumbling upon what looks like the start of a series of anti-smoking actions staged by a new pro-government youth movement. The blog says that Miasin appears to be poorly organized and lacked the creativity of other youth movements which have emerged in Armenia in the past year...

Singapore bans imported milk from China

  20 September 2008

Singapore Dutch lady brand of strawberry flavored milk was found with melamine, the same chemical which caused several injuries and death in China. Imported milk from China is now banned in Singapore. A blogger writes: “As a testament to how inter-linked the world now is and how processed many foods...

Russia: Intravenous Drug Use Leading Cause of HIV/AIDS

  20 September 2008

While sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, a UNAIDS report says that some of the most worrisome increases in new infections are happening in other places, such as Russia. Many HIV/AIDS experts have also expressed concerns that Russia, as well as other former Soviet Union states,...

Japan: The Unhealthy Image of “Ladylike”

  19 September 2008

Japanese blogger Miyakichi at Miyakichi Nikki writes about why the image of ladylike beauty in the world today so unhealthy [ja], tracing the preference for pale skin, 40cm waists and high heels back to the histories of Europe, America and China and connecting them to modern styles in Japan.

India: Anti-tobacco policy

  19 September 2008

Suman Kumar criticizes the tobacco policy of India and tells that the anti-tobacco/anti-smoking policies taken by the government are not based on ground realities.

China: Why Did I Publish The Name Sanlu?

  19 September 2008

A reporter blogger tells the readers that the poisonous milk powder issue had been reported in some local newspapers for a period of time, and he is the first reporter who decided to publish the brand name “Sanlu”. ESWN translated his post at Tianya, which gives details about local reporters’...

Environment: Polluted Fish?

  18 September 2008

La Maguerite considers whether to buy a parrot fish or not, especially after seeing the plastic pollution at a beach just the day before. “…I just wonder how safe is it? How much of the chemicals from the pelagic plastic we found on the beach, have made their way into...

Young Egyptian Women Do Not Want to Work!

  17 September 2008

While some women are still struggling to prove themselves in the workplace, the young generation of Egyptian men and women seems to be taking different route. Marwa Rakha brings us the story of how young Egyptians told a television show that they did not want their wives to work.

Jamaica: Mining Woes

  17 September 2008

Abeng News Magazine reports that communities along Jamaica's North Coast are concerned about plans for bauxite mining and the construction of an alumina plant in the parish of St. Ann: “Some residents complained that negotiations were proceeding without consultation with the people who would be affected by the proposed mining...

Belarus, Ukraine, Russia: Chernobyl Photo Essay

  17 September 2008

Chernobyl and Eastern Europe links to a photo essay created by teenagers from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia for the International Conference on Chernobyl held in Belarus in April 2006: “It is interesting to see these images – effects of the Chernobyl disaster as seen through the eyes of the children.”

About our Health coverage

Juhie Bhatia
Juhie Bhatia is the Global Health editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.