Public health

A majority of the more than 2,500 children hospitalized by illnesses in the Kantha Bopha hospital network between Sunday and yesterday were critically poor and could not survive without free treatment, Kantha Bopha hospital founder and head Dr. Beat Richner said. ...

Two measles cases investigated by the government in recent weeks have been confirmed positive, bringing the total number to five this year and causing concern among health officials about a possible outbreak after the World Health Organization declared the country measles-free just last year.   ...

The garment industry is the linchpin of Cambodia’s economy, and the single biggest employer of women. Some 500 factories hire almost 500,000 female workers, many of whom are young and have migrated to the city from the countryside. ...

As the government plans to transfer roughly 60 percent of detainees at the notorious Prey Speu detention center to a “mental illness” center in Kandal province, mental health experts expressed doubts this week over the country’s capacity to provide proper care. ...

More than 100 striking workers at the Vanny Bio-Research company in Pursat town agreed to go back to work yesterday after mediators promised to find an adequate resolution to their demands for a wage hike. The company breeds and cares for 30,000-40,000 monkeys they sell to ...

A prominent pediatrician announced on Sunday that the use of the Bacille Calmette-Huerin (BCG) vaccination for tuberculosis was not only ineffective, but could prolong suffering for children with the disease. Doctor Beat Richner, the founder of the Kantha Bopha Hospitals, took to Facebook on Sunday, ...

The teeth of some 60,000 Cambodian children have been “sealed” to help prevent tooth decay under an oral health project that recently concluded, but many more continue to be in need of such service, given the country’s significantly high tooth-decay rate. ...

Cambodian parents are commonly using medicinal balms and oils such as “Tiger Balm” on their newborn children despite potentially toxic effects, according to a new report.   ...

The expiration dates of food and consumable goods will be more rigorously tested thanks to a push by the Ministry of Commerce to install mobile equipment to do the job, according to local media. ...

Health Ministry officials are warning that this year will see an increased rate of dengue fever across the country, as the cyclical virus has already shown higher than usual rates of infection, with Mondolkiri province seeing an acute spike in cases.   ...

A new treatment designed to stabilize those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has pro­v­en highly effective and could be used to help the roughly quarter of Cambodians who have the mental illness, according to a new study.   ...

A new study has found that there is a “substantial burden” of pediatric typhoid fever in rural communes in Cambodia. ...

Cambodia’s public health workers are underpaid and poorly trained, with a whopping 98 per cent relying on a second job to supplement their income, according to a recent report. ...

Ministry of Health officials are investigating two suspected measles cases – one in Phnom Penh and another in Svay Rieng province.   ...

The vast majority of people undergoing treatment for HIV and AIDS in Cambodia reported suffering anxiety, according to a new quality of life survey.   ...

Cambodia received a new $130 million funding package from the World Bank last month that focuses on poverty reduction and bettering the lives of poor and vulnerable Cambodians in the country cooperation strategy set out in the new Cambodia -World Bank Group Country Engagement Note ...

Legal action will be taken against health institutes that offer a low quality of care, according to a directive issued by the Minister of Health last week, which also emphasized the importance of digital record keeping in the medical sector. ...

The Ministry of Health and the WHO on Friday signed a new five-year plan that will seek to address communicable and non-communicable diseases, advance universal health care, strengthen capability to respond to new emerging diseases and increase collaborations and partnerships, a ministry official said yesterday. ...

Dengue cases, which can be highly lethal to children, rose phenomenally in the first five months this year and more than doubled compared with the same period last year. ...

The number of dengue fever cases reported during the first 21 weeks of 2016 was double the same period last year and is expected to continue to rise in the coming months.   ...

About 80 U.S. troops are in Cambodia for Pacific Angel 2016, an annual humanitarian-aid mission that runs through June 18. ...

An unlicensed medic was arrested in Tbong Khmum province on Monday after administering three injections to a patient who then died en route to a nearby clinic, a police official said on Tuesday. ...

More than 400 people in Prey Veng’s Peamro district came down with cold and flu-like symptoms on Saturday, prompting the Ministry of Health to launch an investigation into the cause of the sickness. ...

The Kingdom’s most recent case of measles involves a one-year-old child in Phnom Penh, marking the virus’ third appearance in the country this year. ...