· January, 2011

Stories about Health from January, 2011

Venezuela: Cholera Cases on the Rise

  31 January 2011

During a wedding held in the Dominican Republic, a group of Venezuelans were diagnosed with symptoms of cholera after eating contaminated food. What were initially 13 cases has increased rapidly within a few days; the most recent reports speak of 135 people treated for cholera.

Cuba: Second Arrest for Fariñas

  28 January 2011

On learning that Guillermo Fariñas was arrested for a second time in less than 24 hours, Uncommon Sense says: “Nothing is unusual about what is happening…what is unusual is for the police to move so aggressively against someone with Fariñas’ profile, someone whose arrest will get at least a few...

South Africa: Honor Madiba with your actions

  28 January 2011

Mike Stopforth calls on South Africans to honour Nelson Mandela with their actions: “Soon, Nelson Mandela will die. As I write this post traditional and social media channels are rife with rumours of his ill health and deteriorating state.”

Wanted: More Babies Needed in Singapore

  26 January 2011

Singapore’s total fertility rate has decreased to an all-time low at 1.16 percent. To increase population, the government proposes to increase the number of foreign workers and residents in the prosperous city state. Here are some reactions from the blogosphere

Cuba: Old Age in Cuba

  25 January 2011

“Hands shaking with Parkinson’s offer sugary snacks at bus stops, wrinkled faces offer razor blades for only five pesos”: Generation Y says that the system the elderly helped to build “cannot provide them with a dignified old age.”

Brazil: Chief of Police assaults man on a wheelchair

  24 January 2011

A physically disabled lawyer was assaulted and threatened with a gun by a chief of police in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, after having complained that the officer had left his car in a reserved parking lot for the disabled, reports [pt] Renato Rovai.

Armenia: Not so spiritual remedies abroad

  22 January 2011

Unzipped comments on news that the spiritual leader of Armenia, Catholicos Garegin II, has undergone medical treatment in the U.S. However, the blog concludes, traveling abroad for a simple procedure might seem more like a damning indictment of the Armenian medical system.

Haiti: What About Aristide?

  20 January 2011

Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended the same privilege.

North Korea: Drugs Rampant, Even Among Teens

  17 January 2011

North Korean insiders and defectors have testified that drugs are widespread in North Korea. Most recent reports told that drugs are popular gifts among teens and even ordinary middle-class citizens are frequently abusing them.

Floods Continue to Devastate Australia

  9 January 2011

Devastating floods on both the East and West coasts of Australia have caused a war of words over water as well as some high quality online crowdsourcing by our national broadcaster. There has been a series of online spaces to share flood experiences.

Lebanon: Fighting Drugs

Salmanonline posts an article (Ar) about drugs addiction among the Lebanese youth. He discusses the role played by some political parties and other specialized organizations to combat its widespread.

Cape Verde: Alcoholism and the Youth

  9 January 2011

Margarida Fontes, in the blog Os Momentos [The Moments, pt], quotes an interview to the former Minister of Health, Manuel Faustino, where he states that one of the major public health problems of Cape Verde, especially among the youth, is alcoholism and that “the problem should be addressed with aggressive...

Chile: Bloggers Discuss Therapeutic Abortion

  7 January 2011

Chilean bloggers are discussing a proposal to decriminalize therapeutic abortions, a procedure banned in 1989 that would allow the termination of a pregnancy if the mother is carrying a nonviable fetus or her life is at risk.

Guyana: More Than Abstinence

  6 January 2011

“The sooner we recognize that our teens are having sex, the sooner we can start acting like conscientious parents”: The Guyana Groove thinks that “where abstinence alone teaching has failed…learning about sexuality from parents is the answer.”

About our Health coverage

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


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