Public health

Operating from a modest tin shack he shares with his wife and children near the Mekong River in Kandal province, 34-year-old Seurn Sokheang treats his neighbors for a wide range of ailments. ...

The Cambodian National Survey of Oral Muscoal Lesions, launched yesterday at the University of Puthisastra’s health faculty, found the prevalence of oral cancer and potentially malignant oral disorders among Cambodians was 5.6 per cent – about five times more than some other ASEAN countries. ...

Villagers in Preak Russey have learned that red means arsenic. ...

Programmer Kong Divin recently returned from a trip to the US, where he won second place in a Microsoft Office context in Texas. He had entered the same competition last year, but did not win any prizes, though it gave him the drive to return. ...

Despite implementing a ban on marketing for breast-milk substitutes (BMS) in an effort to boost natural breastfeeding, suppliers of baby formula continue to commit “flagrant violations” of the law by marketing their products illegally and claiming superior health benefits, a new report shows. ...

Cambodia launched a health strategic plan in 2002, in an effort to improve services to areas that lack medical personnel and resources. But in many rural areas, there has been little progress, and even an awareness of basic hygiene and disease prevention remains considerably low. ...

Dengue fever has killed at least 16 people so far this year, an uptick from the same period last year, health officials say. The deaths are the result of nearly 4,700 infections. ...

The infection rate of HIV has fallen sharply in Cambodia over the last five years, new statistics show, though the rate for men who have sex with men in the sex industry remains high. ...

The sidewalk near Wat Phnom resembles the line outside a popular amusement park. Toy sellers walk by hawking plastic helicopters and rattles, as a line of more than a hundred parents and children sit and wait for the gates to open, cooling themselves with plastic ...

Fear of social reprisal may be causing Phnom Penh’s sex workers to seek abortions in the privacy of unregistered private clinics or at home. ...

King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday presided over the inauguration of Cambodia’s first geriatric center at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh. ...

The first meeting to discuss a long-term strategy for dealing with last year’s freak outbreak of HIV in Battambang province’s Roka commune was held at the Council of Ministers building in Phnom Penh on Thursday, officials said. ...

Foreign funding for HIV/AIDs programs took a sharp dive last year, as a lower rate of HIV infection among the general population led donors to declare victory over the disease. But the disease remains a threat, experts say. ...

While the rate of HIV infections has consistently plummeted among pregnant women, the number of homosexual, bisexual and transgender men with the disease has yet to be curbed by current intervention methods, according to findings revealed in a behavioural study on HIV prevalence, released yesterday. ...

It used to be a common sight in Phnom Penh – a child wandering on a street with a needle in his hand, followed by a parent holding a bag of IV fluid. ...

The Ministry of Social Affairs has completed drafting a law on juvenile justice that will soon be moved forward for approval and debate at the legislature. The new law, as drafted, aims to provide rehabilitation opportunities for juveniles, rather than simple prison sentences, and meets ...

Victims of sexual violence can often have difficulty reintegrating into society, but experts say the healing process from such assault can be a lifelong struggle. ...

The government says that it is increasing its efforts to clamp down against counterfeit drugs in Cambodia.Speaking at a Pharmaceutical and Medical Expo yesterday in Phnom Penh, Nov Phalla, deputy director at the Department of Drugs and Food at the Ministry of Health said the ...

Dr. Thearith helps thousands of women in Kampong Chhnang province care for their babies. He provides them with advice about how to breastfeed, how to keep their infants from contracting malaria, and how to avoid infections. ...

Dengue fever can kill. But like the mosquitoes that carry the disease, the number of cases of dengue each year can be difficult to count. One thing is certain: the number of cases in Cambodia goes massively underreported every year. ...

Alcohol consumption in Cambodia is high enough that authorities are now drafting legislation for a drinking age. But as the country and its economy develop, many here say it has become an essential part of their social—and professional—lives. ...

The number of reported dengue fever cases has risen to 2,688 dengue in the first six months of this year, up 116 percent from the 1,245 cases over the same period last year, a statement from the Health Ministry said. ...

Cambodia’s budget for mental health care must be increased dramatically if the government aims to properly respond to the mounting demand for services in the Kingdom, health experts said yesterday. ...

About one in 25 Cambodians have speech and swallowing disorders, with tens of thousands dying each year due to related complications, according to experts. ...