Latest posts by Juhie Bhatia
China: Infant Formula Scandal Highlights Decline in Breastfeeding
Health authorities in China reported this week that nearly 53,000 children have become sick after consuming tainted infant formula. As the effects of these contaminated dairy products become more widespread, many are discussing the alternative to formula — breastfeeding. The scandal erupted earlier this month when Sanlu, China's top-selling infant...
Russia: Intravenous Drug Use Leading Cause of HIV/AIDS
While sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, a UNAIDS report says that some of the most worrisome increases in new infections are happening in other places, such as Russia. Many HIV/AIDS experts have also expressed concerns that Russia, as well as other former Soviet Union states,...
East and South Asia: Suicide By Pesticide Ingestion Common
As World Suicide Prevention Day approaches on September 10, a new study reaffirms that suicide is frequently committed by ingesting pesticides in many Asian countries. The study analyzed preferred suicide methods across the world to help policy makers devise the best strategies for suicide prevention. On average, almost 3000 people...
Kenya: Reproductive Rights Bill Sparks Abortion Debate
A bill proposed by Kenyan women's rights groups, which would make it easier to have an abortion, has re-sparked the debate about legalizing abortion. The procedure is currently illegal in Kenya, unless the pregnant woman's life is in danger. Many religious leaders and politicians in the country have spoken out...
AIDS 2008: Lifting the Travel Ban on HIV-Positive People
The XVII International AIDS Conference ended in Mexico City last week, leaving participants with much to focus on until the next conference, which takes place in Vienna in 2010. One of these areas of focus are the travel restrictions imposed on HIV-positive people entering a country for the short or...
AIDS 2008: Battling AIDS By Battling Homophobia
As the XVII International AIDS Conference wraps up in Mexico City, one of the many issues participants have been discussing is the international failure to adequately address HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with other men, often referred to as MSM. SciDev.Net’s blog points out that: “In the 1980s, when...
India: Should Pre-Marital HIV Testing Be Mandatory?
In an attempt to lower HIV rates, the Indian state of Maharashtra introduced a controversial proposal earlier this year, which would make it compulsory for couples to undergo an HIV test before getting married. Our new Public Health Editor, Juhie Bhatia, makes her debut.