Ukraine: Swine Flu (and Some Election Politics)

On Oct. 30, after a few days of alarming reports on an outbreak of respiratory illness in western Ukraine, the first swine flu-related death was confirmed, and PM Tymoshenko ordered Ukraine's schools closed and public gatherings banned for at least three weeks.

Barbados: Key Professions

“In the Barbados context teachers, policemen and nurses represent core professions which are key to building and sustaining a productive society”: Barbados Underground is afraid these callings are in crisis.

“When it comes to swine flu, if the MoH sanitises our minds of the myths, there won’t be a need for special sanitisation of buildings”: KnowTnT.com comments on the Trinidad and Tobago health ministry's handling of the H1N1 situation.

Ukraine: Charity

Scenes From the Sidewalk writes about an encounter with one of Kyiv's many homeless children – and posts photos from actress Olga Kurilenko's visit to a CrossRoads Foundation/ChildRescue's rehabilitation center. Wild World of Sean's Blog reports on a charity visit to a Kyiv hospital for children affected by the Chernobyl...

Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia: “Dumping Grounds for People”

Dumping Grounds for People is a blog devoted to the results “of a four-months long journalistic investigation, conducted mostly undercover in ten institutions for adults with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.” A Flickr photo set, by Yana Buhrer Tavanier, is here, along with this note:...

Ukraine: Interview With A Drug Addict

David Sasaki shares thoughts on “engaging, not exoticizing human rights” and posts a video interview with Pavel Kutsev, a self-described “average drug addict” and “the co-founder of Drop-In Center, a Ukrainian organization which advocates for the rights of the injection drug user communication and for better national policy related to...

Videos on how Maternal Mortality Affects Communities

When a woman dies during pregnancy, childbirth or due to complications after delivery, it affects not only the family, but also the whole community.

Dominican Republic: Cancer Awareness Campaigns

Cancer prevention campaigns in the Dominican Republic have been raising awareness for prevention and treatment, as well as providing support to those families that have been afflicted with the disease.

Pakistan: How To Spot Fake Doctors

A recent report in a local newspaper asserts that some 70,000 fake doctors with bogus degrees are operating throughout Pakistan. Kamran Brohi points out to a facility in the Pakistan Medical And Dental Council Website with which one can check the registration status of a doctor from an online database.

Bangladesh: Doctors Need To Be Disciplined

Syed ABM Ashrafuzzaman thinks that in Bangladesh the existing laws relating to medical profession are anti people. The blogger urges that the doctors need to be disciplined by banning all their trade union like organizations.

Peru: The Abortion Debate

The abortion debate in Peru has reemerged due to a bill that has been approved in the Special Committee of the Penal Code in the Peruvian Congress, which would decriminalize abortion in cases of rape or congenital disorders in the fetus.

Pregnancy and Prisons: Women's Health and Rights Behind Bars

It is still a struggle to ensure human rights for pregnant women worldwide, and it seems that in the process, pregnant women in prison are many times overlooked. What have been some of the steps made to ensure that they are also treated humanely, with respect to the life they carry?

Trinidad & Tobago: Trini To The Bone?

“Every day that I go through the news I become more convinced that I want to quit the ‘I am a Trini’ club and head off to somewhere else”: Coffeewallah has had it with everything from crime to taxes.

Trinidad & Tobago: 350 Action

“Trinidad and Tobago is a wealthy small island developing nation rich in oil and natural gas. But we are also seeing the damaging effects of aggressive industrialisation on our islands. This is an opportunity for women’s voices to be heard”: Attillah Springer is getting involved in 350's climate action tomorrow.

Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Dealing With H1N1

KnowTnT.com and Jamaica's Girl With a Purpose blog about the H1N1 virus in their respective countries,

Adoption: Securing the Rights of Mothers and Children

Women speak out from all sides of the issue: adoptees, natural mothers and adoptive mothers try to make sense of the legal, reproductive and human rights issues behind adoptions.

Bhutan: End Tobacco Ban

I am Drukpa brings to our notice “the rising insane and inhuman prices” of freely available smuggled cigarettes in Bhutan because of a outright tobacco ban in the country. The blogger advocates for “ban-free legalized tobacco that is reasonably taxed and regulated”.

Barbados: New Hospital?

Barbados needs a new hospital, but Barbados Free Press wonders whether people understand “how much commitment and effort this will require.”

Tunisia: Watching Arab Media on HIV/AIDS

Zied Mhirsi is a Tunisian doctor and blogger, based in the USA, who is dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa. Last year, he started a blog to monitor Arab media coverage of HIV/AIDS.

Namibia: Petition to end forced sterilisation

A campaign has been launched to end forced sterilisation in Namibia: “A coalition of civil society organisations has called on Namibians to join a campaign condemning the sterilisation of women living with HIV without their informed consent.”

Israel: Can Tel Aviv Become a Biking Mecca?

Can Tel Aviv join the Netherlands and China as an ideal location for cyclists? Ami Vider of Tel Aviv Tomorrow discusses its potential.