You are here

Day: May 4, 2018

Mystery over 2014 illnesses in western Kazakhstan village rumbles on

Bridge Agents

(EAN) – Four years on, the mystery over a village in Kazakhstan where dozens of children suddenly grew ill and lost consciousness has been revisited by activists who say they have certain proof the symptoms indicate poisoning from a nearby oil and gas field. Crude Accountability, a Virginia-based watchdog focusing on hydrocarbon extraction in the Caspian Sea basin, said in a report on April 24 that recent medical examinations have revealed that two young girls affected have been diagnosed with toxic encephalopathy, a brain disease caused by chemical poisoning. “The…

Read More

In Brazil, Patients Risk Everything For the ‘Right to Beauty’

Bridge Agents

Brazil (Conversation) – In the U.S., if you want a face lift or a tummy tuck, it’s generally assumed that you’ll be paying out of pocket. Insurance will tend to cover plastic surgery only when the surgery is deemed “medically necessary” and not merely aesthetic. In Brazil, however, patients are thought of as having the “right to beauty.” In public hospitals, plastic surgeries are free or low-cost, and the government subsidizes nearly half a million surgeries every year. As a medical anthropologist, I’ve spent years studying Brazilian plastic surgery. While…

Read More