Mohammed Omer GAZA CITY, Jan 21 2008 (IPS) – Seventy-six-year-old Mustapha al-Jamal goes door to door, looking for help in finding medicines for his son. At home, the 53-year-old son Yahya al-Jamal lies back, staring at the ceiling. By his side, an oxygen cylinder keeps him going for now. A Plea from Mustapha al-Jamal Credit:…
Aimable Twahirwa KIGALI, Feb 21 2008 (IPS) – Certain medical workers in Rwanda have expressed concern about the country s campaign to promote male circumcision as a means of curbing the spread of HIV. They fear that in a country with low levels of knowledge about sexual health, people could mistakenly believe the procedure offers…
Am Johal VANCOUVER, Mar 28 2008 (IPS) – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has doubled its use of Taser stun guns since 2005, according to an investigation by CBC and the Canadian Press. The RCMP has also been found to be less than forthright in producing information related to Taser incidents. The use of…
Arlene Chang UNITED NATIONS, May 9 2008 (IPS) – As the first U.N. relief planes landed in Yangon early on Thursday, humanitarian officials complained that the aid flowing into cyclone-devastated Burma (Myanmar) is still encountering bureaucratic obstacles that are threatening the lives of desperate survivors. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes holds press conference on…
Claudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Jun 12 2008 (IPS) – Romania used to be infamous for its nightmarish orphanages. Since 2001, however, the national system of care for vulnerable children has been undergoing a successful reform process. Authorities in the county Brasov in central Romania bring children found begging on the streets, youths who have been abused,…
Jonathan Springston and Matthew Cardinale ATLANTA, Georgia, Jul 14 2008 (IPS) – A coalition of over 100 national and local organisations representing labour unions, doctors, nurses, women, small businesses, religious groups, racial minorities, and think tanks has launched a new campaign in 53 U.S. cities to demand quality, affordable health care for every United States…
Zofeen Ebrahim MEXICO CITY, Aug 8 2008 (IPS) – I m a survivor, and if I can live through all that has happened to me, so can other women, said Floride Nyiraneza, 42, who is HIV positive and a widowed mother of four. She was among the 250,000 women who were systematically raped in 1994,…
Sarah McGregor DAR ES SALAAM, Oct 8 2008 (IPS) – The key to a new multi-billion dollar strategy to eliminate malaria deaths worldwide by 2015 is to widen availability of existing diagnostic and preventative treatments. Explaining proper use of mosquito nets in Kenya — treated nets are key to malaria prevention. Credit: Allan Gichigi/IRIN However,…
Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Nov 28 2008 (IPS) – While HIV infection rates remain relatively low in Australia, the peak non-governmental organisation representing the country s community-based response to HIV/AIDS wants the government to do more to fund prevention measures here and in the region to counter rising infection rates. We made such massive, excellent…
Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Jan 22 2009 (IPS) – Australian scientists appear to have made a potentially major breakthrough in the battle to combat dengue fever, the mosquito-borne infection which leads to more than 20,000 fatalities worldwide each year. In a best-case scenario, I think it could go a long way to eradicating dengue in…