Public health
Priority health concerns
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. ...
ADB offers Cambodia loans for malaria, irrigation
The Asian Development Bank will loan Cambodia $64 million for two projects covering irrigation upgrades and malaria control, according to an ADB statement released on 10 November. Keep reading ...
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 ...
Ground broken for new Lao hospital with Thai support
Bokeo provincial authorities held a groundbreaking ceremony on 27 October for a new hospital including inpatient as well as maternal and child healthcare facilities in Huayxai-neua village,Huayxai district. Actual construction work on the new hospital building commenced in June and it is expected to be completed in ...
First bird flu outbreak this year confirmed in Laos
The first avian flu outbreak this year in Laos was reported in ducks and chickens in a farm located in Xayabury. Keep reading ...
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 ...
Cambodia's dengue cases up 300%
The number of dengue fever cases in Cambodia has skyrocketed, with children hit hardest by the killer disease, according to new government figures. Incidences of dengue leapt by more than 300 per cent to 11,828 cases between January and September this year. Keep reading ...
Road safety efforts ‘insufficient’
A new study warns that a UN initiative to cut global road deaths in half by 2020 is on course to fail amid “clearly insufficient” efforts, with middle- and lower-income countries such as Cambodia at the forefront of the battle. Keep reading ...
Laos polio prevention campaign gets booster shot with IPV
The Laos Ministry of Health has launched the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) programme to further boost immunity against polio for children under 12 months of age. A ceremony to launch the national introduction of the IPV took place at the National Culture Hall on 15 October, ...
