Department of Education. Excerpt from the “And Down Will Come Baby” documentary. “And Down Will Come Baby” is a video about the effects of exposure to alcohol and other drugs on the fetus during pregnancy. Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Published on Feb 22, 2013
So far in the first two months of this year, gun deaths in Chicago have already outpaced last year’s explosive rate. Elizabeth Brackett of PBS member station WTTW explores the escalating public health crisis in Chicago due to the high rates of gun violence.
Published on Feb 17, 2013
Despite the concerns of Israel, the U.S. and its Western allies, Iran denies it’s developing atomic arms under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Meanwhile, the severe international sanctions are hitting the lives of everyday Iranians in need of medicine, as RT’s Maria Finoshina has found out.
Published on Dec 2, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish
Investigations into a psychiatric hospital in the Guatemalan capital have uncovered evidence of sexual and physical abuse by staff. International human rights organisations told Guatemala that it must take steps to protect the patients. Al Jazeera’s David Mercer reports from Guatemala City.
Published on Nov 23, 2012 by VOAvideo
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women between the ages of 15 and 40. New York fashion photographer David Jay has created large-scale graphic portraits of young breast cancer survivors. And a word of warning, this report contains graphic images which some viewers may find disturbing. VOA’s Sara Deghan reports.
As public health leaders try to curtail smoking among adults, new data show the problem starts young. Popular students in middle school and high school have a higher risk of smoking than other children, according to a series of studies conducted over 10 years. Elizabeth Lee has more details from Los Angeles.
Burma’s AIDS epidemic mostly affects marginalized groups, such as the gay community. In a country where homosexuality remains illegal, finding and treating gay patients is a challenge for the few health workers devoted to their treatment. VOA News reports that an annual religious event called a Nat festival, however, is one time when the gay community can network – and talk to health workers about treatment.
The World Health Organization estimates that 346 million people globally suffer from diabetes. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO projects that if current trends continue, deaths from the disease could double by 2030, and health experts warn it could become a global epidemic, with significant health and economic consequences.
At a time when economists predict that South Asia’s economy will grow, health experts point to hundreds of millions suffering from neglected infections, often as a result of poverty. In a series of new studies, researchers say many countries in South Asia bear a disproportionate burden of these diseases and have a need for new drugs and vaccines. In part 1 of a two-part series, Vidushi Sinha looks at the toll these diseases take on the poorest of the poor.
New research shows India is experiencing a sharp rise in two major medical conditions typically associated with wealthier nations. Changing lifestyles and economic prosperity are seen as fueling the trend. The study, “Screening India’s Twin Epidemic,” surveyed a nationwide sample of nearly 16,000 participants, nearly half of whom had hypertension, or high blood pressure. More than a third had diabetes, and about a fifth had both conditions.
Twenty million of the world’s 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS are in Africa. So what better place to experiment with ways to make them more self-sufficient, improve their diet, and help overcome the social stigma of AIDS? VOA’s Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports one promising solution involves growing vegetables.
AFRICA
