integrated regional information networks

Dengue Fever Cases In Sri Lanka Triple In 2012

Sri Lankan health personnel have reported a three-fold increase in the number of recorded dengue fever cases in the first quarter of this year.

Mild Hand-Foot-And-Mouth Disease Turns Deadly For Children In Vietnam

A dangerous strain of the typically non-lethal HFMD has affected more than 21,000 persons - mostly children younger than five - killing 16 thus far in Vietnam.

Myanmar In Dire Need Of HIV Treatments, Experts Say

Lack of access to anti-retroviral therapy to treat HIV has left thousands of patients in Myanmar with deteriorating immunity and increased vulnerability to tuberculosis, say health workers.

“Blind” Fault Line Caused Negros Earthquake, Philippine Experts Say

Philippine authorities are scrambling to map out previously unknown fault lines across the archipelago after a powerful 6.9 magnitude quake hit Negros earlier this month.

No Rice, No Way: Indonesia Attempts To Wean Population Off Rice

Indonesia’s attempt to wean its population off rice has been hampered by a lack of viable alternative staples and cultural attachment to the grain, experts say.

UN: High Rates Of Maternal Deaths In Myanmar Among Migrants, Refugees

Lack of access to reproductive healthcare in Myanmar has led to high rates of maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancies among the country's displaced and refugee populations, say health experts.

UNISDR Chief Compares Typhoon Sendong To Japanese Tsunami

UNISDR chief Margareta Wahlström described what she saw in the typhoon-devastated coastal cities of Iligan and Cayagan de Oro to be reminiscent of the 2011 Japan tsunami.

Arsenic: Poisoning Nepal’s Groundwater Slowly And Steadily

After the discovery of unsafe levels of arsenic in Nepal’s groundwater a decade ago, government officials and aid groups are taking a critical look at whether their efforts have made a difference.

Sri Lanka: Tea Rich But Nutrient Poor

Tea in Sri Lanka is one of the country's biggest cash crops, but families working on tea estates are among the nation's poorest in terms of earnings as well as nutrition, experts say.

Nepal’s Monsanto Seed Sovereignty Debate Highlights Need For Home-Grown Solutions

An effort by U.S. donors and Monsanto to partner with Nepal to boost local maize production with imported hybrid seeds has met civil society opposition calling - instead - for home-grown solutions.