Stories about Health from September, 2014
Surviving Sierra Leone's Three-Day Ebola Lockdown
Some point out that cultural practices in parts of Sierra Leone aggravate risks, such as bathing in water used to wash Ebola victims, believing it will bring good luck.
Questioning Weekend's Media Silence About Ebola
“When will Ebola news go 24/7?,” asks a US/Canadian professor Crawford Kilian: I have long been used to outbreak news dropping off on weekends. The media, government agencies, and NGOs all knock off on Friday afternoon and show up again Monday morning. But after the last few weeks of Ebola,...
Are Madagascar's Health Care Facilities Ready for Possible Ebola Outbreak?
Fifteen African countries including Madagascar are potentially at risk since they have the same environmental characteristics as affected countries. The prime minister says Madagascar is prepared, but others are doubtful.
Describing Pain in Hospitals Without Indigenous Language Services
Without medical professionals fluent in indigenous languages or without proper interpretation services in Mexican hospitals, there is a risk that patients will not be able to adequately describe what ails them, writes Yásnaya Aguilar in her regular blog column for EstePaís. She provides examples how the Mixe language allows her...
Newspapers Predict Spain's Conservative Party Will Shelve Their Restrictive Abortion Bill to Save Face in Elections
Spain's abortion bill has met with pushback not only from parties in the opposition but also from within the current governing party's rank and file.
Threats to Press Freedom in the Fight Against Ebola in Liberia
The Press Union of Liberia is concerned about the threat to freedom of information as a result of the actions taken by the government to limit the expansion of the Ebola virus. The union wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice to draw his attention to the challenges media...
Digital Library of Traditional Philippine Healing Practices
Initiated by several government agencies, the Philippine Traditional Knowledge Digital Library on Health (TKDL-Health) seeks to document and digitize indigenous health practices in the country. The communities, characteristically living in the mountains or their fringes, have depended mostly on plants and other natural products from the forest to prevent or...
Ebola Hasn't Reached the Gambia, and People Are Working to Keep It That Way
The deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has killed nearly 1,900 people so far. In the Gambia, a social media campaign and a specially composed song are trying to raise awareness.
Using Mobile Phones to Connect Pregnant Women and Midwives in Timor Leste
Liga Inan is using mobile phones to connect pregnant women and health workers in Timor Leste. The innovative program provides mothers with vital information and health advice to ensure the safe delivery of babies. Since its launch, almost 2,000 mothers have been already enrolled in the program.
An NGO in Peru Feeds Pelicans to Prevent Them From Starving
At the estuary of Moche river in the northern Peruvian province of Trujillo, members of the NGO Corazones Bondadosos (Generous Hearts) fed more than 400 pelicans with fresh fish to prevent their starvation. Colectivo ‘Corazones Bondadosos’ alimentan a pelicanos en Trujillo. Noble gesto. Piden apoyo de autoridades @tromepe pic.twitter.com/y4py4NpaYr — Jota...
Social Media Users Pick at Hospital Food in Hungary
A blog, ‘Kórházi koszt‘, was launched over the summer of 2014 in Hungary, exposing the poor quality and small rations of food in Hungarian hospitals. The blog rose from the outrage among Hungarians who stayed at hospitals and received not only small portions of food, but often cheap and “disgusting”...
The ‘Nuh Guh Deh’ Campaign Wants to Make Jamaica a Place Where Sexual Abuse of Girls Is Never Okay
Some Jamaicans, especially men, think it's acceptable for girls to be sexually initiated at a young age. The campaign will coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child.
These 8 Ice Bucket Spinoffs Challenge Hunger, War and Politics
From the “Lather Against Ebola” campaign against Ebola in Côte d'Ivoire to the Rubble Bucket Challenge for children in Gaza, people are repurposing the viral phenomenon.
The Ebola Truth
The Ebola Truth is a Facebook page that aims to document the situation with the Ebola virus on the African continent.
From Liberia to South Korea, West Africa's Ebola Outbreak Is Met With Ignorance and Paranoia
A pub in South Korea posted a notice turning away Africans "due to Ebola virus," and a Nigerian millionaire preacher is offering to cure Ebola patients with his special water.
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