Archive for 2011
One of the most pressing concerns in international health is drug-resistant disease. In some cases drugs that have been used to fight infections for decades, like sulpha and penicillin, are on the verge of becoming useless as diseases adapt. Some bacteria have gotten so strong that only one or two extremely powerful drugs can kill [...]
“Brain drain” is a popular topic these days. It’s the tendency for highly skilled professionals from developing countries in the Middle East Africa and Asia to head abroad rather than work in their home countries. In the Middle East, this has triggered a shortage of qualified medical staff. And ironically it’s led countries to rely [...]
Fears about potentially lethal breast implants are spreading around the world after it was revealed implants produced by French Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) could rupture. According to Reuters as many as 300,000 women all over the world may have PIP implants. But international health officials can’t agree on the level of risk.
As resident foreigners, expats are usually excluded from some aspects of local life. They aren’t often allowed to vote, for example. But expats living in Russia may soon get a new privilege: the right to donate blood. According to a report on RT.com, Russia is desperate for blood donations. Moscow has the most blood on [...]
It sounds like something out of science fiction–maybe a mad scientist’s lab–but a “plasma toothbrush” could soon arrive at a dentist near you. We half-expected it to use a laser beam. Close, but not quite. Actually the “brush” works by using chemical reactions to to clean out cavities and fillings, releasing them in a jet of [...]
‘Tis the season not only to be jolly, but also catch the flu. And rest assured, nothing replaces Christmas cheer (or travel plans) with utter misery faster than high fever, aching joints, a sore throat and vomiting. So far in 2011 the main flu strains are the H1N1 strain that developed out of the 2009 [...]
There are few things that terrify a parent more than the thought of a child falling ill with cancer. Worse yet, for some kids the very drugs used to treat their cancer are as dangerous as the disease itself. New research shows certain powerful drugs may cause heart problems later in life. A study by [...]
Grocery shopping abroad can be exciting. This is especially true for expats living in countries where open-air markets are common. But while heaps of fresh food may be a welcome change from the supermarket, they can also carry health risks–particularly if they have feathers. A new study has definitively linked live poultry markets in China [...]
For years people have been trying to escape the health risks of smoking. Often not quitting so much as looking for safer ways to get nicotine into their bodies. Hence products like nicotine lozenges and electronic cigarettes, which (if tobacco companies are to be believed) are healthier alternatives to smoking. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have [...]
Health insurance premiums increase like clockwork every year–lately the pace of medical inflation has been in the double digits. Now MediCare International is helping ease the burden with “voluntary excess” options for its International, International Plus, Executive and Executive Plus plans. By taking one of these options, expats stand to save 10-50% on their premiums. [...]
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