Health News

WHO to decide regional health priorities
Star Health Report

Health Ministers from the 11 countries of World Health Organisation’s (WHO) South-East Asia Region will meet in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 9-12 to discuss key health issues facing the region, says a press release.
The meeting is a forum for exchange of views and for discussion on health issues important for the region. The health ministers will discuss ways to address vector borne diseases and are expected to adopt the Dhaka Declaration on this issue. Millions of people in the South-East Asia region are at risk of vector borne illnesses including Dengue, Malaria, Lymphatic Filariasis and Kala-azar. Most of these diseases are either preventable or curable and the ministers will look at a more comprehensive and inter-sectoral approach for their prevention, control and elimination.

Helping poor children with heart disease
Child Heart Trust Bangladesh formed
Star Health Report

Like adults, heart diseases affect children too. But management of heart diseases in children is not the same as adults; it needs healthcare professionals specialised in child heart care called paediatric cardiology. Unfortunately, there is a severe scarcity of specialists in this field and facilities for dealing with these diseases. Even if the resource is available, many parents cannot afford the expensive treatment of heart diseases of their children.
In an effort to improve the scenario and to help these children, a new not for profit, non-government organisation named Child Heart Trust Bangladesh (CHTB) has been established by some noble healthcare professionals. The speakers expressed their hope in the launching programme that CHTB will play a remarkable role in helping poor children with these costly diseases.

A new book for managing childhood diseases
Star Health Desk

A new book titled Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics authored by Prof Salim Shakur of Bangladesh has been published by leading Indian medical book publisher — Jaypee Publishers, says a press release.
The book has been published in two editions — the Bangladesh and international edition. The Bangladesh edition emphasises more on child health problems and child health statistics of Bangladesh.