· July, 2012

Stories about Health from July, 2012

Guatemala: Mining Community Organizes Peoples’ Health Tribunal

  31 July 2012

For years, the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán in Guatemala has been denouncing the negative consequences of Goldcorp's Marlin gold mine. On July 14 and 15, members of the community joined other international organizations to form a 'Peoples' International Health Tribunal.' In the first post in this two-part series, we introduce the Health Tribunal and also highlight the local efforts of the San Miguel Ixtahuacán community .

Brazil: Ministry of Health forms Partnership with Facebook on Organ Donation

  27 July 2012

The Blog da Saúde [Health Blog] announced [pt] the Ministry of Health's partnership with Facebook to encourage organ donation by members of the largest social network in the world. “The Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, and the Vice President of Facebook for Latin America, Alexandre Hohagen, will launch, next Monday (30th), a new profile feature for Facebook users...

Greece: Fake Dyslexia Certificates for Children

  21 July 2012

In ‘Where Everything Is Possible‘ [el], blogger Theodoris Georgakopoulos criticizes the news that Children's Hospital employees in Athens, Greece, have been involved into issuing fake documents certifying dyslexia. He mainly puts the blame on those parents who labelled their children with a disability to facilitate their final high school exams. @Haris_Nk...

Pakistan: Polio Vaccination Ban Affects 240,000 Children

  20 July 2012

The lives of 240,000 innocent children are at stake due to the recent ban on Polio inoculation by the Taliban in the region of FATA. The militants also consider this anti-polio campaign as an act of espionage, and the tribal leaders are backing them.

Laos: Prison or Drug Detention Center?

  14 July 2012

The Human Rights Watch is asking the United States to stop the funding of the Somsanga Drug Detention Centre in Vientiane, Laos until the Laos government has investigated the reported human rights abuses in the facility

Uganda: Nodding Disease Denying Children Their Future

  11 July 2012

James Propa shares photos and YouTube videos of the effects of nodding disease in Uganda. Nodding disease is a mentally and physically disabling disease that mostly affects children. It is currently restricted to small regions in South Sudan, Tanzania and northern Uganda.

Bulgaria: How to Become a Prostitute in 1888

The blog “Живот Мой” (“My Life”) published [bg] the 1888 local legislation on how to become a prostitute in the Black Sea coastal city of Varna. The bill contains the requirements for women willing to become prostitutes; regulations on brothels; health requirements before, during and after being a prostitute; and...

Colombia: Concern About Contamination at Santa Marta Bay

  10 July 2012

José D. Pacheco M., of the blog Tras la cola de la rata, writes [es] about a study [es] and a report [pdf, es] on the contamination of the bay of Santa Marta, an important tourist destination in the Colombian Caribbean, because of the “poor handling and inadequate control of...

Brazil: The Debate About Natural Childbirth

  2 July 2012

In Brazil's private sector, over 85% of births are caesarian, even though the World Health Organisation recommends that they not exceed 15% of total births. The high prevalence of this procedure, instead of natural birth, recently sparked a debate and protest in Brazil.

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