Health

240,000 Chiang Mai residents exposed to health threats

Chiang Mai Airport is under siege by haze and dust particles. The airport is using runway lights during daylight hours due to low visibility, and all roads in the provincial seat are experiencing visibility of less than 500 metres.

Published

9 years ago

March 23, 2012

Aishwarya Gupta

Haze from forest fires and airborne dust particles beyond safety levels still blanket the city of Chiang Mai, affecting air traffic in this northern province.

All roads in the provincial seat are experiencing visibility of less than 500 metres.

More than 240,000 people sought medical treatment for haze-related illnesses

Local residents are wearing sunglasses and masks to prevent eye and nose irritation. According to the provincial disease control office, in the past five weeks, more than 240,000 people sought medical treatment for haze-related illnesses at 87 hospitals in eight northern provinces.

The official tally recorded over 100,000 patients with coronary heart disease, another 100,000 patients with respiratory diseases and about 20,000 persons suffering from eye inflammation and dermatitis. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned of summer thunderstorms in the coming five days countrywide, first in the northeastern and eastern regions as a moderate high pressure system is forecast to extend into Thailand from tonight with northeasterly winds. Thunderstorms, thundershowers, gusty winds and hail are expected from Friday through Tuesday.

via Chiang Mai fights haze; low visibility, health threats continue.

Companies

AstraZeneca Approves Thailand’s Vaccine Factory

Published

2 months ago

March 18, 2021

National News Bureau of Thailand

BANGKOK (NNT) – AstraZeneca has approved safety standards at Thailand’s vaccine factory and will send the first batch of raw materials for vaccine production in June.

(more…)

Health

Skin-lightening products market to reach US$31 billion by 2024

In emerging Asian and African economies, the natural aspiration to enhance one’s circumstances has led to rapid growth in the market for skin-lightening products, which is projected to reach US$31 billion by 2024.

Published

2 months ago

March 4, 2021

Insead Knowledge

Recent years have seen evolving awareness of systemic inequities including racism, sexism and pro-Western chauvinism.

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Ecommerce

Has Covid-19 prompted the Belt and Road Initiative to go green?

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2021

Oxford Business Group

Has Covid-19 prompted the Belt and Road Initiative to go green?

– Covid-19 led to a slowdown in BRI projects
– Chinese overseas investment dropped off in 2020
– Government remains committed to the wide-ranging infrastructure programme
– Sustainability, health and digital to be the new cornerstones of the initiative

Following a year of coronavirus-related disruptions, China appears to be placing a greater focus on sustainable, digital and health-related projects in its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

As OBG outlined in April last year, the onset of Covid-19 prompted questions about the future direction of the BRI.

Launched in 2013, the BRI is an ambitious international initiative that aims to revive ancient Silk Road trade routes through large-scale infrastructure development.

By the start of 2020 some 2951 BRI-linked projects – valued at a total of $3.9trn – were planned or under way across the world.

However, as borders closed and lockdowns were imposed, progress stalled on a number of major BRI infrastructure developments.

In June China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 30-40% of BRI projects had been affected by the virus, while a further 20% had been “seriously affected”. Restrictions on the flow of Chinese workers and construction supplies were cited as factors behind project suspensions or slowdowns in Pakistan, Cambodia and Indonesia, among other countries.