Asian News

The Asian and Pacific region has by far the largest number of people with disabilities in the world. Most of them are poor, their concerns unknown and their rights overlooked.

Some 400 million people with disabilities live in and around the Asian and Pacific region of the world. When taking into consideration the impact on Asian families, the lives and livelihood of over 800 million people are impacted, about 25% of the population. The majority of these people are excluded from many social opportunities. for example less than 5% of children with disabilities attend school in Asian Pacific countries. Women and girls often suffer double discrimination and have even less access to an education than males.

One organisation, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), assists governments and self-help organizations to create inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with different disabilities.

Also the Asia and Pacific Disability Forum (APDF), was formally established as a new NGO network on disability in the Asia and Pacific region at the Inaugural Meeting in Singapore on November 26, 2003.

Many Asian cultures have a history of Ayurvedic and Unani spanning thousands of years including widespread therapies such as massage and herbal treatment. Some of these interventions have recently been validated by modern research.

The world's oldest man, Tomoji Tanabe, has just celebrated his 113th birthday. Tomoji Tanabe lives in Miyakonojo, which is Japan's southern island of Kyushu. Japan has one of the world's longest life expectancies. The average age in Japan is nearly 86 years for females and 79 years for males. Long life in japan is often attributed to the country's healthy diet that of fish and rice.

Further Information Regarding Asian News

50 Million Vaccinated Against Deadly Brain Infection
Research at the University of Liverpool has supported the vaccination of more than 50 million people against a zoonotic brain infection that affects thousands of children across Asia every year.

World Vision Aid for Indonesia Earthquake Aftershocks
World Vision is preparing emergency response to support thousands of children and families impacted by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shattered Indonesia on Wednesday.

Children with Disabilities Left Out of Education
The chances for twenty-million children with disabilities in India to get the education they deserve is in jeopardy because the Right to Education Bill currently excludes them, and has been tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 30th. Disability rights activists have met with Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal, pointing our this lacuna; he was dismissive of their appeal to delay the bill, as well as their request to incorporate children with disabilities.

Death Penalty in Japan - EU Japan Summit
On the eve of the EU-Japan Summit to be held in Brussels on May 4th 2009, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Center for Prisoners Rights (CPR), FIDH's partner organisation in Japan, call upon the European Union to put the issue of the death penalty in Japan at the top of the agenda.

Pakistan Urged to set up Centres for Autistic Patients
Speakers at a seminar urged the government to establish schools and centres to create awareness about autism, a disease characterized by difficulty in communicating with others, among the masses.

Health News from Asia World Stroke Day
This week, organizations around the globe are working to create awareness and educate people about the signs, symptoms, treatment and prevention of one of the leading causes of death and disability, stroke.

Disability and Asian Health News 20 Oct 2008
Round up of Asian health and disability news for 20 October 2008 including coming events.

New Video Game uses Brain Waves
Willpower is set to replace fast fingers in a new video game in which players move characters through a headset that monitors their brain waves.

Asian Health Disability and Seniors News - 6 October 2008
South Korean health authorities report that traces of melamine have been discovered in milk products from New Zealand. They were found in lactoferrin which is added to baby milk.

Asian Disability and Health News Weekly Roundup 1 Oct 2008
Weekly review of disability and health news from Asia and surrounding countries for the week ending 1 October 2008.

Half a Million Women Die per year from Childbirth Complications
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says around half a million women die each year from complications in childbirth and 10 million more suffer life-long disabilities.

Personal Airbags for the Elderly
A Japanese company has made an airbag designed to stop elderly people injuring themselves by falling over.

Shortage of Doctors in Japan
Lately an acute shortage of doctors in Japan are leaving hospitals unable to treat even emergency cases. Some small private hospitals now have only 1 doctor on staff, when they used to have 3 or 4. Larger hospitals are dropping entire departments because they can't get the required specialists to staff them.