Public health
Health care policy and administration
Medics need to address malnutrition in Laos
Government leaders at all levels have been urged to prioritise the implementation of effective measures to solve malnutrition in Laos, according to a leading official. Speaking at the 3rd National Nutrition Committee Meeting and the 1st Nutrition Forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and ...
More Vietnam hospitals capable of treating dengue
Within seven days of being treated at Binh Chanh District Hospital’s paediatrics ward, a 13-year boy diagnosed with dengue fever was able to return home, fully recovered, a testament to the hospital’s improved capacity to treat the disease. Dr To Thi Kim Phung, the ward’s head, ...
Lao officials warn about overuse of antibiotics
It is estimated that 90 percent of private hospitals and medical clinics in Laos give too much antibiotics to their patients because they lack training in prescribing antibiotics. However this carries many risks. Director General of the Health Care Department under the Ministry of Health, Associate Prof. ...
Vietnam worries about possible outbreak after Laos reports 11 diphtheria deaths
Health officials are concerned that the diphtheria outbreaks in Laos can spread to Vietnam, saying remote areas along the border where vaccination coverage rates are not high are particularly vulnerable. A statement from the Preventive Health Department at the health ministry said Laos has reported diphtheria ...
Ramp plan for public areas gets push from Cambodian government
In efforts to improve conditions for its disabled citizens, the government on 26 October announced that it plans to order the installation of ramps and access signs at all public places. Speaking at the launch of the government’s disability policy in Phnom Penh, Em Chan Makara, secretariat ...
Cheap lunch a hazard at Vietnam factories
Mass food poisoning suffered by 441 workers at a factory on 21 October was a reminder of the unhealthy factory lunches provided in Vietnam, which has been a major cause of wildcat strikes and the fact that its productivity is among the lowest in the world. Truong ...
Southeast Asia may see rise in dengue fever cases as strong El Nino unfolds
Higher temperatures in Asia, including those during a strong El Niño cycle, can drive up the incidence of dengue fever, a group of international researchers has found. For the first time, researchers have been able to review the big picture of dengue epidemics on a continental ...
Food and Drug Administration to test drinking water, cooking oil
The Myanmar Food and Drug Administration is taking action against peddlers of dirty “purified” water and fake peanut oil. Officials said for the safety of the public the FDA will be testing products consumed daily, going ward by ward to take samples. “First, we will take ...
Net widens in probe of ThaiHealth
Authorities have vowed to investigate the recipients of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s (ThaiHealth) funding after checks found the foundation’s budget had been misspent. The findings were based on scrutiny by the monitoring and auditing committee on fiscal expenditure and the Office of the Auditor-General, Justice Minister ...
Polio death draws 500,000 vaccine dose response in Laos
Half a million doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) will be distributed to at risk groups in Laos as health authorities respond to the dangers posed by the virus. The virus is responsible for the death of an eight-year-old boy in the province of Borikhamxay ...
