In The News

Swine Flu Provides a Test of Employers’ Crisis Plans

Joe Sharkey May 6, 2009
The corporate response to the swine flu has been well orchestrated and cautious for the most part. This is due mainly to instituting response and risk management plans in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia. As a result, companies now have tracking and data systems that can pinpoint the locations of their traveling employees and thus...

Swine Flu: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Outbreak

Bryan Walsh April 27, 2009
The World Health Organization recently called the outbreak of swine flu a health emergency of “international concern.” Government responses have been varied with the US noting that none of the cases domestically have been fatal; Europe and Hong Kong urging its citizens to avoid travel to the US and Mexico; and some countries banning pork imports, even though the flu is not communicable through...

Zimbabwe's Cholera Victims Find Salvation in South Africa

Basildon Peta December 9, 2008
Cholera is typically transmitted through water or food contaminated by fecal matter, reports the World Health Organization. A corrupt government in Zimbabwe has made sanitation a low priority, and perhaps the biggest tragedy for its people is that a disease so easily treatable goes neglected. Treatment includes simple rehydration or hydration salts, reports WHO, but Zimbabwe health workers lack...

Chinese Media Say Tainted Animal Feed Widespread

The Associated Press October 31, 2008
The state media in China admits that melamine, which mimics protein in tests, was packaged as “protein powder and commonly added to animal feed, reports the Associated Press in an article for the International Herald Tribune. “Four brands of Chinese eggs have been found tainted with melamine in a week, and agriculture officials speculated the source was adulterated feed given to hens,” reports...

A Lesson in the “Link”

Nayan Chanda October 16, 2008
Just as one foul ingredient can spoil a recipe, so can one sloppy procedure ruin reputations for any firm and its country. The most recent case: Chinese dairies trying to boost profits with melamine-tainted milk that went into all kinds of products, causing health problems for more than 50,000 children. It’s good business practice for companies to monitor their supply chains, down to the smallest...

China’s Image Sullied by Tainted Milk

Mary Kay Magistad October 1, 2008
The latest scandal involving tainted milk adds to the perception that the label “Made in China” covers layers of warnings: a potentially resentful work force, suffering low pay and abuse; managers who place profits over safety, striving for quantity over quality in production; minimal quality-inspection procedures and enforcement; and government authorities conditioned to hide rather than expose...

Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; A Diet Succumbs

Elisabeth Rosenthal September 30, 2008
When obesity and its problematic health effects grabbed headlines in developed countries like the US in the 1990s, researchers contrasted eating habits to those in Mediterranean countries like Greece, where life expectancies remained high and incidences of serious disease remained relatively low despite widespread drinking and smoking. Researchers credited the use of olive oil and daily...