News
Asia: Malaria in the Greater Mekong subregion
According to 2nd Quarter 2021 data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Mekong Malaria Elimination Program published October 1, the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS) reported 12,454 malaria cases from April to June 2021. The data shows Plasmodium falciparum and mixed cases were down 69 percent from the same ...
NEWS DESK
WHO urges vigilance as COVID-19 situation in Myanmar remains “manageable”
Myanmar has seen COVID-19 confirmed cases rising to 151 with 6 deaths and 31 people recovering. Despite the increase in cases, the country has been able to trace the majority of transmission chains, maintaining that the virus spread is “manageable”, said Dr Stephan Paul Jost, World ...
JOHN LIU
Drug-resistant malaria is spreading, but experts clash over its global risk
In what scientists call a “sinister development,” a malaria parasite resistant to a widely used drug combination is on the march in Southeast Asia. It has rapidly made its way in an arc from western Cambodia, through northeastern Thailand, to southern Laos; now it has ...
Leslie Roberts
Midwife crisis: Laos slashes maternal mortality but Trump defunding threatens the progress made
Medical training has reduced maternal and infant mortality rates in rural Laos. US president’s decision to cease funding UN body behind the program, over accusation it backs forced sterilizations in China, could undo all the good work. Keep reading ...
Per Liljas
Climate change triggers new diseases in Vietnam
Scientists have found connections between climate change and the appearance of new diseases, especially vector borne diseases, including dengue fever and malaria. Vietnam is among five countries in the world to suffer the most from climate change. According to the Central Steering Committee on Fighting and ...
Emergency response in SE Asia gets a fund boost
Emergency response across South-East Asia got a shot in the arm with the 11 countries in the region establishing a fund to build preparedness for natural disasters and health emergencies. The fund aims to make health systems in the region, which is among the most disaster-prone ...
Malaysia expects more Zika cases as virus spreads in Southeast Asia
Malaysia is bracing for more Zika cases, officials said on September 4, after detecting the first locally infected patient, which could further stretch a health system struggling with dengue, another mosquito-borne virus that can be fatal. Both Zika, which is of particular risk to pregnant women, ...
