· March, 2009

Stories about Health from March, 2009

Brazil: On the Vatican's condemnation of raped-child's abortion

  12 March 2009

A 9-year-old girl several times raped and made pregnant by her stepfather was guaranteed the right to have an abortion legally in Brazil. After the operation, the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated the mother, the doctor and the whole medical team responsible for the operation. This has sparkled a great debate in Brazil: What is the Church's role in society?

Haiti: Responding with Love

  12 March 2009

“Who is to blame? To me that is an irrelevant question. The question should be, how can I respond with love?”: The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog is shocked by “how ignorant many people in the developed world still are about AIDS.”

From Bangladesh with Love

  10 March 2009

BRAC Blog informs that BRAC, the largest non-profit (NGO) development organization in Bangladesh, has set up an office in Liberia and deployed its trained and experienced staffs to carry out development activities which includes helping rural farmers grow better crops to feed their families and sustain their livelihoods. It will...

Guatemala: Will the New Anti-Smoking Law be Enforced?

  9 March 2009

Claudia Navas of Ordinaria Locura [es] is pleased that the new anti-smoking law is now in effect in Guatemala, but lists some of the arguments by some why it won't be effective such as that no one will follow the law and that the police and other public officials will...

Russia: “Unsent Letter” on Health Care

Below is a partial translation of a post on health care in Russia - a caustic "unsent letter" to the Russian president, written by LJ user sobe-panek on Feb. 22. The post has made it into the Top 30 at Yandex Blogs portal and was picked up by some Russian media.

Bird Flu in Laos

  3 March 2009

Lao veterinary authorities have sent a report to the World Organisation for Animal Health about a bird flu outbreak in the northern part of the country. The virus has affected more than 3,000 village poultry.

Virus scare hits Southeast Asia

  1 March 2009

Rising cases of dengue fever, chikungunya, bird flu and ebola viruses were reported in several Southeast Asian countries in the past two months. Relax, there are no pandemic threats. Not yet, anyway.

About our Health coverage

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