Category Archives: Public Health

Coughing Butterfly Effect: Path to safer food and drug control, in China

Written by Damjan (online). Posted on March 18, 2010. Filed under China, News Items, Public Health. 1 Comment.
The problem is that by the time the news cycle is finished covering one of China's food and safety scandals, the average consumer of news is ill informed the story layer which has to do with her own well being. More often than not, international news stories about China's food and drug safety issues are reported in a way that scores points for economies doing trade with China , and, in the worst cases, China's food and safety problems are unceremoniously grouped in with to a long list of China's human rights issues. It is the classic case of elites writing for other elites. The politically and economically expedient information is seized upon while the truly important aspect of it is let go by the wayside.

China’s Naked Government Experiment Could Work for Hospitals, Too

Written by Damjan (online). Posted on March 16, 2010. Filed under China, Public Health. No comments.
Officials, in a Sichuan township, have initiated a public accountability experiment, posting their personal expenditures for the first two months of the year online. Netizens have dubbed the effort China's first case of 'Naked Government'. AKA, transparent government. The Sichuan township's efforts are significant because the officials, so far, have been very open about their spending. Here's the healthcare angle. This precedent can and should be applied to China's public hospitals.

America’s Abortion Debate is infecting China’s

Written by Damjan (online). Posted on March 15, 2010. Filed under Asia, NOT-China, China, Human Rights, Public Health. No comments.
Radical politicization, hysteria fueled violence, and stalemate defines America’s abortion debate. In turn, and owing in part to historical considerations, China’s ruling elites view the debate as composed of inherently destabilizing forces that must be precluded from interrupting the harmony of Chinese society. Where technology has made it easier to bring the basic tenets of our debate directly to the Chinese people, the Pro-Lifer’s and Pro-Choicer’s insistence on waging ideological Realpolitik has negated any such gains by overshadowing and stigmatizing some of our most important humanitarian insights into pre-natal life.

China’s Health Diplomacy

Written by Damjan (online). Posted on March 11, 2010. Filed under China, Public Health. 1 Comment.
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.

H5N1 might make a comeback in Southeast Asia

Written by Damjan (online). 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.