IN THIS MONTH'S BULLETIN
Many papers in this issue address the special theme of communicable diseases in the South-East Asia region of the World Health Organization, which comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
In the lead editorial, Jai P Narain & R Bhatia (162) provide an overview of the challenges this region faces in dealing with communicable diseases. In a second editorial, Jacob Kumaresan & Nalini Sathiakumar (163) predict the impact that climate change will have on health in south-eastern Asia. A third editorial by Nani Nair et al. (164) discusses the challenges of tackling tuberculosis in this region.
In an interview, Prabhat Jha (171-172) tells why accurately counting the world's dead is of great importance to public health. G Balakrish Nair & Jai P Narain (237-238) discuss the public health classic by De & Chatterje, published in 1953, that culminated in the discovery of the cholera toxin.
Republic of Korea: high-tech health care
Lee Ji-yoon (169-170) reports on how health care has improved significantly in the past 30 years.
Reduction in maternal mortality
Buyanjargal Yadamsuren et al. (191-197) discuss reasons for a 47% reduction over seven years.
Afghanistan: boost in family planning
Douglas Huber et al. (227-231) discuss how community health workers rapidly increased contraceptive use.
Ethiopia: khat chewing and road accidents
William Eckersley et al. (235-236) call for more research on the effects of the stimulant on drivers.