Yearly Archives: 2010

China’s Health Diplomacy

Written by Damjan Denoble. Posted on March 11, 2010. Filed under China, Public Health. No comments.
After there was a lot of hullabaloo, both good and bad, about China's efforts in Haiti - China was first on the scene! But wait, it was only there to save other Chinese! - I was reminded that a country's healthcare might is one of its most powerful diplomatic tools. Being able to send soldiers into a warzone sends a message. But, bringing medical aid to a war zone sends a different kind of message; lets just say that Afghanistanis trust Italian medical doctor Alberto Cairo more than they do military personnel.

“I’m a China blogger.” “No way?! I’m an America Blogger!”

Written by Damjan Denoble. Posted on March 10, 2010. Filed under News Items. 3 Comments.
The term 'China blogger' drives me crazy because it communicates approximately as much as sarcasm - nothing. I tried telling someone that I was a 'China blogger' once and immediately wanted to punch myself in the face. Compared to China I am so small. How I could even try to tell someone I blog about China and keep my dignity in tact is beyond me.

Asia Catalyst launches AIDS law database

Written by Damjan Denoble. Posted on March 10, 2010. Filed under Asia, NOT-China, China, News Items. No comments.
The NGO, Asia Catalyst, just launched a new AIDS law database, a "free, user-friendly resource, searchable in Chinese and English, to help researchers to find HIV/AIDS-related statutes throughout Asia." This looks like it could become a strong tool for researchers, and lawyers. The interface is really straightforward, allowing one to parcel down articles through a three tiered search filter composed of Region, Subject Matter, and Level of Government.

Building green hospitals from scratch

Written by Damjan Denoble. Posted on March 9, 2010. Filed under Marketing Health. No comments.
There’s a great post over on a blog called Ouno about the ability of design to bolster healing outcomes. It draws heavily on (and later on in the post, reprints in full) a Scientific American article by Emily Anthes, How Room Designs Affect Your Work and Mood, that nicely summarizes the findings of several environmental [...]

H5N1 might make a comeback in Southeast Asia

Written by Damjan Denoble. Posted on March 8, 2010. Filed under Asia, NOT-China, Public Health. No comments.
The concern has always been that areas like Myanmar, which have poor oversight, can end up as incubation hubbs for avian viruses. The worst case scenario is a virus with a long incubation period because infected birds would be able to carry it long distances, without dying, passing it on to other birds, and making it more likely that humans, too, would get infected.