Stories about Health from October, 2021
Hong Kong stays firm on zero-COVID policy as its top strategy to reconnect with China
"So if Hong Kong were to loosen border controls for people arriving from overseas... then the chances to travel with the mainland will be reduced," says Hong Kong's Chief Executive.
Deaths of three Kenyan athletes puts focus on mental health and gender-based violence
Kenya has lost close to 45 million US dollars in revenue from sports since March 2020 due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19. This has exacerbated the mental health of athletes.
How children became the worst sufferers of COVID-19 induced lockdowns in India
VideoVolunteers Community Correspondents (CCs) report from the ground on the devastating consequences of COVID-19 lockdowns for primary education in rural schools in India.
Publishing house removes section on transgender individuals from Russian translation of teen health book
According to the publisher, Belaya Vorona, making the book available to Russian teenagers was more important that "preserving the deleted information".
We need ‘painless’ glucose monitors, says Mia Chichkarikj, a 16-year-old diabetes patient from North Macedonia
“This should be a plea to the authorities at the Ministry of Health, to take our needs for 'painless' glucose monitors seriously and to provide them as soon as possible.”
Community care during the pandemic in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
From community pantries in the Philippines to the White Flag movement in Malaysia, this pandemic has spurred communities to mobilize and provide aid during this public health emergency.
Young Azerbaijani activist goes public about grave crime committed against her whose perpetrator remains unpunished
Despite medical records indicating the proof of the crime, the perpetrator remains free, according to the personal account posted by activist Sanay Yaghmur on Facebook.
No hatred nor pity: Just let me live in my own body
"Those who criticise different bodies have no idea what [trans people] had to go through to have the body that we live in."
Fake vaccine passport scandal revealed in Armenia
Authorities estimate that over 700 people bought the fake vaccine certificates from healthcare workers in Gyumri — Armenia’s second-largest city.
COVID-19, vaccination and the progress of the global healthcare system
“ … obesity might soon be recognised as a vitally strategic global element in explaining varying COVID-19 levels between rich and poor.”
Could Miami show Trinidad and Tobago how to safely pull off Carnival in a pandemic?
"There were free testing stations, temperature checks. They followed strict protocols [...] My friends who participated are all fully vaccinated. Hoping that it wasn’t a super spreader."
Ukraine’s trans-border transplant quandary
Going abroad for organ transplants is common in Ukraine, but the logistics are tricky. But a new law and enthusiastic regional doctors could make a national transplant system a reality.
Jamaica forced to dump 55,000 doses as COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy persists
"Before [social media] those who were uninformed knew they were uninformed ... now [the] same uninformed listen to two fake news video clips [and] pronounce themselves experts."
Kenyan government’s use of surveillance technologies to tackle COVID-19 raises human rights concerns
Kenya's 2019 data protection legislation was supposed to offer a framework for the government to acquire citizens' data in a transparent and rights-respecting manner, but some say it lacks independent oversight.
Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has returned. But other citizen journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in China are still missing. Among them Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.