Priority health concerns

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

The Ministry of Health has completed a draft law on alcohol regulation, which will set a minimum drinking age, increase taxes on alcohol and place other controls on the sale, consumption and advertising of alcohol. ...

A community-based HIV testing program is the first of its kind in the region. While this peer-provided HIV counselling and testing has increased the number of people tested from key populations, it has not detected a significant number of new HIV cases. In 2014, there ...

Unicef and the Ministry of Health have prepared four spots to raise awareness in the care of newborns and young children with illnesses. The ads, for radio and television, aim at improving the country’s high child mortality rate. ...

Unicef and the Cambodian government have launched a campaign to promote better health for children and newborns. Cambodia has made some progress improving the health of women and children, but a high rate of death for children remains a major concern. It saw its newborn mortality ...

“Roasting”—a Cambodian tradition that sees new mothers lie on beds over a fire for several days in the belief it will scare off evil spirits and warm the body after giving birth—is one of many dangerous but deeply rooted practices that midwives and health practitioners ...

Thailand will give its full cooperation to ASEAN nations to prevent the spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus in the region, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday. ...

The Public Health Ministry has put Thailand on a nationwide alert for MERS after one foreigner tested positive for the virus at a Bangkok hospital on Thursday, with various measures being implemented to ensure it does not spread. ...

Cambodian health authorities are on high alert, following the first confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, in Thailand, Thursday. Diagnosis systems have been installed at major border checkpoints and at the airports of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. ...

Another HIV-positive resident of Battambang province’s Roka commune passed away this week, marking the latest fatality in a locale where hundreds have been infected with the virus. ...

Cambodia has seen 957 dengue fever cases in the first five months of 2015, a 63 percent rise compared with 586 cases over the same period last year, a health official said Thursday. ...

Members of a community in Battambang where an unlicensed doctor allegedly infected more than 200 people with HIV earlier this year have demanded free general healthcare, a provision usually reserved only for the country’s most poor. ...

The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea has sparked international alarm, and about 25,000 people have cancelled trips to the country between June 5 and 7, the Korean Tourism Organisation said.  ...

Every day, 35 Cambodian children die before their fifth birthday. Their premature deaths are caused mainly by such preventable and treatable diseases as diarrhea or pneumonia. ...

Iron deficiency affects nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide. It is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. In Cambodia, after 9 months of using the Lucky Iron Fish every day, researchers saw a 50 percent decrease in the incidence of clinical iron deficiency anemia, ...

Two more people have tested positive for HIV in Battambang province’s Roka commune this month, bringing the total number infected to 272 since an outbreak of the virus was first detected in December, a health official said Wednesday. ...