Health authorities have reported a second human death in Indonesia from bird flu this year, with the death of a five-year-old girl who recently lost her relative to the deadly virus. Concerns about avian influenza have risen in the region after China in late December reported its first fatality from the H5N1 virus in 18 [...]

The first use of embryonic stem cells in humans eased a degenerative form of blindness in two volunteers and showed no signs of any adverse effects, according to a study published by The Lancet medical journal. Publication in the peer-reviewed journal marks an important step for embryonic stem cells, which were hailed as a miracle [...]

Car owners with a television are 27 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than people who have neither, according to a global study on physical exercise and heart disease published on Wednesday. More broadly, the study – covering more than 29,000 people in 52 countries – showed that working up a light sweat may [...]

A 24-year-old Indonesian man infected with bird flu died in the capital Jakarta, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, in the country’s third fatal case in three months. “Test results from the man who died confirmed that he was infected with bird flu,” ministry head of communicable diseases Tjandra Yoga Aditama said. The man likely contracted [...]

DENPASAR Officials have expressed dismay that while worldwide HIV infections continue to decline Indonesia, including Bali, is in the midst of a sharp spike in occurrence of the disease. “Worldwide it is on the decline, in the United States and Australia, for example. But in Bali it’s increasing,” said Made Suprapta, secretary of the Regional [...]

Indonesian authorities are investigating the case of an Australian who is believed to have been infected with HIV while getting a tattoo in Bali. “We received a report about this case from the Health Ministry yesterday and officials will be visiting tattoo parlours today to verify this claim,” Bali Health Department chief Nyoman Sutedja said [...]

DENPASAR A senior activist has said that there is not enough government support provided for children suffering from HIV-AIDS in Bali. Novita E Wuntu from the Citra Usadha Indonesia foundation (YCUI) said there was no developed continuous funding system for the care of HIV-positive children in Bali. “We have been searching for continuous donations for [...]

DENPASAR Bali’s hospitals are now equipped to deal with cases of domestic violence and child abuse, according to officials. IB Putu Alit from the team that handles such cases at the main Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar said all major state-run hospitals in Bali now had a similar dedicated team. “The team records the cases, reports [...]

Scientists in the United States say they have developed a vaccine that attacks tumours in mice, a breakthrough they hope will help fight breast, colon, ovarian and pancreatic cancer in humans. Although studies on mice often do not translate directly into remedies that work for human subjects, researchers are hopeful because of the strength of [...]

A government official from Jakarta attempting to stamp out endemic corruption in Bali is wasting his time by saying it can be tackled though efficient recruitment processes – weeding out those seeking to bribe their way in the door. Hendro Witjaksono of the grandly titled Ministry for Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms, which has its own [...]

Women of childbearing age can reduce their risk of heart problems by regularly eating fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, according to a Danish study. The study is the first to examine younger women, age 15-49, and determine whether fish in their diet has a real impact on their current likelihood of heart problems, [...]

Fake or poor-quality malaria drugs are boosting resistance in parts of southeast Asia, a problem that is likely to worsen unless tighter regulations are adopted, US experts said this week. “The malaria parasite has a history of adapting to drugs and adapting to insecticides,” Regina Rabinovich, director of infectious diseases at the Bill and Melinda [...]