Via The Irrawaddy, a report with disturbing implications for a flu pandemic: Burma's gathering "health" storm. Excerpt:
According to the report, Burma has one of the world’s highest tuberculosis rates and is home to more than half of Asia’s malaria deaths. Ethnic and religious minorities, displaced farmers, commercial sex workers and intravenous drug users are among the groups most at risk for infectious diseases, the report said.
The Burmese government spends less than 3 percent of national expenditures on health, while the military, with a standing army of over 400,000 troops, consumes 40 percent, according to the report. In addition, Burma spends just 40 US cents per citizen each year on health care compared to the $61 per citizen that neighboring Thailand spends each year.
The researchers at UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins found that the widespread distribution of counterfeit anti-malarial drugs and the rise of drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis pose a major health threat to the Burmese people, especially those living in border areas where health care is limited.
