The World Health Organisation have planned to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through ensuring greater access to vaccines worldwide, the plan was to have eradicated polio and to eliminate the measles.
This had seemed more likely a decade ago than it does today as in developed countries mortality rates of both diseases had declined by as much as 99%. These targets seem less attainable today as the amount of measles outbreaks in the USA is higher than it has been in decades and in Europe in 2011 alone there were more than 25,000 cases of measles. These outbreaks can be attributed largely to a dramatic decrease in parents immunising their children. This decrease in immunisations was something of an anti-vaccination movement, and anti state-intervention sentiment, and was heavily supported by a now discredited report which suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
These recent outbreaks entirely disprove the anti-vaccination concept of ‘herd-immunity,’ it has been shown that these diseases can occur in developed countries and this can then impact disastrously around the world. Obama and Hillary Clinton have both spoken out in favour of vaccines this week as the anti-vaccination voice remains strong in the US. The message which they are trying to convey is that we have seen that those who have not received the necessary vaccines do prove a risk to others, particularly the most vulnerable in society: children under the age of five and the immunocompromised are most at risk from unvaccinated individuals.
Dental caries, tooth decay or cavities affect a rather surprising number of young children these days, my daughter started developing it at only 18 months old.
Before you jump to conclusions, let me add that I had not been feeding her sweets, cookies, ice cream or even fruit juices (she was drinking only water) and we started brushing her teeth from the moment they appeared (although, it is anyone’s guess how efficient brushing the teeth of a wriggling baby really is!) I want to clarify that I worked hard to make sure that she had healthy teeth, but I guess, you cannot control everything and unfortunately we just have to deal with the unexpected when it comes to children.
At first I noticed that one of her front teeth was slightly chipped. I took her to see a dentist straight away, but the problem was, which I later realised – it was not a paediatric dentist. After almost 4 years of dealing with this issue, I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a paediatric specialist, who knows how to spot the first signs of a problem and would be able to advise you on the latest treatments in this field. Unfortunately, I had no experience with this, so whe
n the first dentist assured us that it wasn’t a problem and that lots of babies get chipped teeth, I relaxed for a while. If we had started treatments earlier, we could have helped to slow down this process.
Our content team at Just Landed has been hard at work in order to produce the following essential health guides, to make your move abroad that little bit easier. 
We have teamed up with Integra Global to make sure that each of these guides are as accessible and objective as possible.
The extensive research which has gone into these guides ensures that no stone has been left unturned, whether it be from providing the best hospitals for giving birth to 24 hour pharmacies and English speaking doctors.
These Integra health guides provide you with all the necessary health knowledge at your fingertips, as well as the opportunity for a free health consultation.
Get a pap smear to test for cervical cancer in 2015.
If your new year’s resolution is to make health a priority start this year off with Cervical Health Awareness Month. An annual event, Cervical Health Awareness Month aims to educate women and highlight issues relating to cervical cancer, preventative measures, and HPV infection.
Each year an estimated 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S and 6,000 in the UK. However, cervical cancer is highly preventable, and treatable, if caught early. This is where screening methods, lifestyle changes, and the HPV vaccine come in.
Some countries have increased their average life expectancy by as much as 12 years.
Global life expectancy has increased by around six years largely thanks to improvements in health care advances in the last two decades. One of the most comprehensive studies of health care to date, published in The Lancet, found life expectancy increased 6.6 years for women and 5.8 years for men between 1990 and 2013.
The 2013 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study found, in wealthier countries, the rise in life expectancy is largely due to fewer people dying from heart disease. While in poorer countries, fewer children are succumbing to illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.
Teenage sexual and reproductive health is falling behind goals set 20 years ago.
Twenty years after a global conference urged better sexual and reproductive health services for teens, a new study shows disappointing results, reports Women’s E News. The study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, highlights the degree to which the goals set have been unmet.
The study’s key findings include: Read More →
Health insurance jargon explained. Image source: brooksinsurance.com.
When choosing an international health insurance plan, the jargon used can make the whole process seem more than a little baffling. Here is a list of phrases that will be useful to know when researching your health insurance options.
Co-payment (Co-pay) is a small fixed amount, determined by the health insurer, that the insured person must pay every time a medical service is accessed.
Top expat family bloggers to follow (Source: photolibrary.com).
It’s never 100% smooth running moving from your home country to the unknown. However, it’s arguably even more of a challenge when its not just yourself moving, but the whole family. In this post, there is a selection of some fabulous expat family bloggers, giving great advice and sharing their adventures abroad.
Gringos Abroad is a blog designed to make your living abroad experience easier. Bryan and Dena are a Canadian family who have been living in Ecuador since 2009. They cover all sorts, from learning the native language to making a living abroad, and provide reviews on products. Their blog posts always provide helpful insights on topics such as home schooling your children abroad to the expat living costs of different countries. They even give advice on how to start your own expat blog.
Widening the age range for breast cancer screening seems like a positive step forward at first glance; regular mammograms have the advantage of detecting cancer early so treatment can begin straight away, with the intention of saving more lives. As practical as it may sound, breast cancer screening isn’t as beneficial as it may seem, with some claiming that it does more harm than good.
Widening the age range
New Zealand is ranked as the number one destination for expat families.
The annual HSBC Expat Explorer Survey has revealed the best and worst countries for raising children abroad. Looking at criteria such as access to better education, cost of childcare, and the opportunity to learn a new language, the survey found New Zealand is the best country for expats families in 2014. This result, based on responses from nearly 10,000 expatriates, knocks 2013 winner Germany down into third position with South Africa in second place.
Nearly nine in ten (87%) expat parents in New Zealand reported they felt their children were safer since moving, compared with a global average of 61%. Over three-quarters of expat parents in New Zealand (78%) also say their children’s health and wellbeing has improved.