· October, 2012

Stories about Health from October, 2012

Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia

  31 October 2012

Marta Sibina and Albano Dante, editors of the citizen media magazine Cafè amb Llet, have been fined 10,000 euro for libel. They uploaded to YouTube a video strongly criticizing the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing in Catalonia, implicating Josep Maria Via, president of Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium and healthcare advisor to Catalan President Artur Mas.

El Salvador's Tough Abortion Laws

  30 October 2012

Voices from El Salvador highlights several stories of Salvadoran women affected by the country's abortion ban, ” which includes cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the woman is at risk.” The issue is compounded by other women’s rights issue, including femicide (El Salvador has the highest rate in...

Sanctions in Iran: Who Stole My Medicine?

  29 October 2012

The lives of six million patients in Iran have been adversely affected due to shortages of medicine, as an immediate result of unprecedented sanctions. Patients with cancer and multiple sclerosis - who cannot afford interruptions or delays in treatments - are most affected.

India: Dengue Outbreak In Delhi Spreads Fear

  29 October 2012

Last week when India's veteran film director, scriptwriter and film producer Yash Chopra (80) died from Dengue fever, people became aware and panic spread in some parts of Delhi. Delhi has seen an increased number of dengue cases over the last one month with number of cases reported close to 1000 with several deaths.

China: Basketball Grandma

  18 October 2012

To avoid medical spending and keep herself healthy, Zhu Shumei, a 76 old granny plays basketball every day for more than 20 years on a university campus in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. JIng Gao from Ministry of Tofu has translated the local feature story.

China: Breast Feeding

  18 October 2012

Sascha Matuszak blogs about his wife, Zhang Yushi's involvement in breast feeding campaign in China, including the organization of a flash mob breast feeding action in Chengdu.

Haiti: Yéle Haiti Facing Allegations of Financial Impropriety

  16 October 2012

Various allegations of financial impropriety have been directed at musician and activist Wyclef Jean's charity Yéle Haiti. The allegations are centered on the millions that the defunct charitable organization received in donations after the Janury 2010 earthquake period that devastated the island.

Zambia: YouTube Documentary on Negative Impact of Copper Mining

  14 October 2012

A documentary titled “Zambia: Good Copper, Bad Copper” about Zambian copper mining and its negative impact on society has emerged on YouTube and has so far attracted over 6,000 hits. After watching the documentary, one YouTube user wrote, "Cry our beloved country. Why should we remain poor when a coveted product is plenty and mined at the expense of the locals' health."

China: Drinking Deer Blood

  14 October 2012

Some Chinese believe that drinking deer blood can prolong life. ChinaSMACK translated a local report about the cruel business deer farm in China. [Warning: graphic]

Sierra Leone: Is Ami Musa the Saddest Pinterest Page in the World?

  14 October 2012

One blog, Lovelyish, considers a Pinterest campaign about a 13-year-old girl Ami Musa from Sierra Leone by UNICEF UK to raise awareness about children living in poverty in Africa "the saddest Pinterest page in the world." Another blogger, Tom Murphy, argues that Pinterest represents a bit of a brave new world for NGOs to reach newer audiences.

Trinidad & Tobago: Privatizing Healthcare

  11 October 2012

An ad in the newspaper has Trinidad & Tobago blogger, The Eternal Pantomime, wondering whether the government plans to privatize the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mount Hope.

Lesotho: Defence Force Top Brass Facing Court Charge

  10 October 2012

Commenting a post on lestimes.com about the the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) top brass facing a court charge after they allegedly ignored a High Court order to accept a junior soldier’s sick leave application, KOTOPE writes: The answer to all this mess is very simple, LESOTHO DOES NOT NEED ARMED...

Got a Question for Jimmy Carter?

  9 October 2012

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is accepting questions on Facebook and Twitter (#CarterQA) as part of a commemoration of the Carter Center’s 30th anniversary of “waging peace and fighting disease worldwide”. President Carter will be answering by video on October 19, 2012.

First Doctor Account of the HIV epidemic in China

  8 October 2012

Yaxue Cao from Seeing Red in China translated Dr. Wang Shuping's account of the discovery the HIV epidemic in Henan province and how she was stopped by the profit-making blood stations and local official from disclosing the situation. Wang is the first doctor who discovered the HIV epidemic in China.

About our Health coverage

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