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Global Health

Friday April 29, 2011

Tainted Pork Is Latest Food Safety Scandal In China

Pork is sold in a market in Beijing. PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Tainted Pork Is Latest Food Safety Scandal In China

April 29, 2011 • Clenbuterol, a steroid sometimes taken by athletes to burn fat and grow muscle, has sickened hundreds of Chinese consumers in recent months after they ate pork meat contaminated with it. Many are still angry about the 2008 melamine milk scandal.

New Republic: Treating A Silent Global Epidemic

April 29, 2011 • The publicity of the fight against HIV/AIDS has eclipsed other diseases plaguing people around the globe. Jake Marcus of The New Republic argues that a new initiative to treat noncommunicable diseases like depression, cancer and obesity will do a world of good.

Tuesday April 26, 2011

Shrinking Height Of Poor Women Reflects Lack of Food, Health Care

The richest women in Guatemala were about three inches taller than the poorest. lubilub/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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lubilub/iStockphoto.com

Shrinking Height Of Poor Women Reflects Lack of Food, Health Care

April 26, 2011 • Measuring height gives clues to the health of nations. Many aren't measuring up. A new study finds that in 14 African countries, women are shorter than in previous generations.

In Ukraine, Scars From Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Remain Raw

Anatoly Kotlyar (left), 59, and Alexander Zenchenko, 58, are two of the thousands of "liquidators," or firefighters, who responded to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The Soviet government ordered them to the nuclear facility as first responders. Both men today complain of health problems and say Ukraine's government should be doing more to help with medical bills. David Greene/NPR hide caption

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David Greene/NPR

World

In Ukraine, Scars From Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Remain Raw

April 26, 2011 • A quarter-century after the world's worst nuclear accident, scars remain on the landscape and among the people, including firefighters exposed to radiation as they rushed to the burning reactor. The new nuclear crisis unfolding in Japan serves as another reminder of just how long recovery can take.

In Ukraine, Scars From Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Remain Raw

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Monday April 25, 2011

Using Mosquitoes To Put The Bite On Malaria

Bite me: Could malaria-infected mosquitoes protect against the disease? abadonian/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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abadonian/iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Using Mosquitoes To Put The Bite On Malaria

April 25, 2011 • Coming up with vaccine against malaria has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Dutch researchers have found some small success by "vaccinating" people with mosquito bites.

Monday April 18, 2011

Shots - Health News

WHO Resolves Impasse Over Sharing Of Flu Viruses, Access To Vaccines

April 18, 2011 • Vaccine manufacturers committed to setting aside at least 10 percent of the world's flu vaccine production for developing nations when the next flu pandemic strikes. Poorer countries would either get vaccine free or pay reduced prices for it.

How To Stay Out Of Measles Quarantine: Know Your Shots

Forget snakes. There could be measles on the plane. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

How To Stay Out Of Measles Quarantine: Know Your Shots

April 18, 2011 • Measles was declared eliminated in the United States more than 10 years ago, but a few cases still crop up. The biggest problem is travelers who pick up the disease overseas and bring it home.

Thursday April 14, 2011

Stillbirths Still Haunt Parents Around The World

Most of the stillbirths worldwide happen in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and at least half of them take place during labor or birth. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Stillbirths Still Haunt Parents Around The World

April 14, 2011 • Some 2.6 million babies are born with no signs of life after 28 weeks' gestation — what's known as a stillbirth — according to a collection of papers published online this week in The Lancet. Most happen in developing countries, but they haven't gone away in wealthier nations.

Thursday April 7, 2011

Meet the enemy: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, commonly referred to as MRSA. Janice Haney Carr/CDC hide caption

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Janice Haney Carr/CDC

Shots - Health News

Drug-Resistant Germs: Your Day Has Come

April 7, 2011 • The World Health Organization is using the full power of its global bully pulpit today to draw attention to the growing problem of germs that are impervious to drug treatment.

Friday April 1, 2011

World

One Doctor Aims For Better Health Care In Iraq

April 1, 2011 • After nearly a decade of war and, before that, more than a decade of economic sanctions, Iraq's medical and health systems are in shambles. The problems are overwhelming, but one individual — born in Iraq but now a citizen of the United States — is not discouraged.

One Doctor Aims For Better Health Care In Iraq

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Monday March 28, 2011

Japan Finds More Foods Tainted By Radioactive Material

Wasabi plants, like these, in Fukushima prefecture were found to contain substantial amounts of radioactive iodine. C.K. Koay/Flickr hide caption

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C.K. Koay/Flickr