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Pakistan Battles Polio, and Its People’s Mistrust
Usman, who limps on a leg bowed by the polio he caught as a child, made sure that his first three children were protected from the disease, but he turned away vaccinators when his youngest was born. He was furious that the Central Intelligence Agency, in its hunt for Osama bin Laden, had staged a fake vaccination campaign, and infuriated by American drone strikes, one of which, he said, had struck the son of a man he knew, blowing off his head.
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- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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African fever patients commonly over-diagnosed with malaria
People hospitalised with fever in Africa are most likely to be treated for malaria but, in some areas, nearly all of these patients are ill from a different infection, a new collaborative study led by a University of Otago researcher suggests.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Innovation for Health: How Text Messages and Micro-Insurance Help the Urban Poor Stay Healthy
Slum residents across the Global South lack access to affordable health care services. Despite a pervasive lack of funding, often mediocre infrastructure, and too few trained personnel, slum dwellers have come up with innovative solutions. Using forums, text messages, micro-insurance, and community engagement, they help residents in Mumbai, Nairobi, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City lead healthier lives.
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- Health Care
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As disease rates fall in Africa, EU urged to maintain health aid
African governments are spending more of their own money to combat the AIDS virus, malaria and other health plagues, but a senior global health official says progress in preventing infectious diseases could slow if the EU and other donors skimp on their aid.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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‘Lifestyle diseases more common among poor than rich in India’
The poor in India don’t suffer from fewer “lifestyle diseases” than the rich — they just don’t know it. A new study shows that the actual prevalence of common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is far higher among the poor than they report, and is as high if not higher among the poor than among the rich.
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- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Psychiatrists decry mental health care in Africa
The drugs given to many of Africa's psychiatric patients are often administered to keep the patients asleep so the hurried nurses can get some rest, and those who can't sleep may have their hands or feet tied up.Yet these patients may be considered lucky, because across Africa most of those who need psychiatric care don't ever get it.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Hyderabad Debates Health Insurance Model As Public Hospitals Decay
On February 21, during the afternoon rush hour in a busy shopping center in downtown Hyderabad in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, two makeshift bombs packed with bolts and nails were detonated in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the city’s history. Over 100 people were injured by the blasts, and many were transported for treatment to Osmania General Hospital, the largest public hospital in the city.
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- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Sickle Cell Anemia Is On The Rise Worldwide
Sickle cell anemia may not be as well-known as, say, malaria, tuberculosis or AIDS. But every year, hundreds of thousands of babies around the world are born with this inherited blood disorder. And the numbers are expected to climb.
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- Health Care