Health officials in northern India say a serious outbreak of Japanese encephalitis has infected hundreds of children. Encephalitis is a viral brain disease. It can cause permanent disabilities and sometimes death. It is common disease in South and East Asia during the rainy season. Experts say the virus spreads easily from country to country. And […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report in Special English. About half of all people live in countries that are low or lower middle income. But these countries have more than 85 percent of all cases of epilepsy. Medical experts say this is probably because of the higher rates of brain infections andhead injuries that […]
Syria’s prime minister recently said his country will search for alternative markets to secure medicines. Medical drugs are in short supply because of the conflict between supporters and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is trying to crush the revolt against his rule. The violence has raised an outcry in Western countries […]
Translators without Borders is an American nonprofit group. It provides language services to nongovernmental organizations like Doctors Without Borders. The group recently trained some new translators in Nairobi in how to translate health information into local languages for Kenyans. For health translators, finding the rights words is not only about language. It is also about […]
Scientists are criticizing a study that said laboratory rats developed tumors after they ate genetically modified corn. The research appears in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and includes pictures of rats with large tumors. The study said the animals developed the growths after two years of being fed genetically changed maize. Gilles-Eric Seralini was […]
Hundreds of thousands of Russians die every year from diseases linked to smoking. The country has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 40 percent of adults in Russia smoke. That is about 44 million people. The WHO says China leads the world in tobacco smoking rates. It says Russia is […]
Babies born with serious medical conditions often spend their first few days in the intensive-care unit of a hospital, so they can be cared for. While they are there, medical workers put tape on the babies to hold down tubes and electronic devices. Experts say having to change the tape daily or remove it can be painful and […]
Different groups around the world are working to expand the uses for mobile technology in health care. Patricia Mechael is executive director of an organization called the mHealth Alliance. She says mobile phone use is far more widespread that it was only a few years ago. She says there are 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide. She […]
An advisory group has suggested that everyone in the United States between the ages of 15 and 65 should get tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says wider public acceptance of HIV testingcould lead to earlier treatment for those infected, and it would further slow the spread of […]
The flow of Congolese refugees into western Uganda is raising concerns not only about food security, but also the risk of the Ebola virus. Eating primates is a Congolese custom, but monkeys, chimpanzees and other animals can carry the deadly virus. Disease experts are calling attention to the danger. So are environmental groups. That is because chimpanzees are […]