The Myanmar Times published two articles on Covid19 vaccine ‘side-effects’ and almost nothing about the benefits of vaccination. https://www.mmtimes.com/news/health-official-quells-fear-vaccine-side-effects.html https://www.mmtimes.com/news/mandalay-braces-covid-19-vaccination.html Whose side is it on? Jamie

I’m not surprised that Dr Khin Khin Gyi continues to speak unintelligible half truths about Covid19 but it does surprise me that the media continue to amplify her. I guess few staff at the Myanmar Ministry of Health & Sports are authorised to speak with journalists. https://www.mmtimes.com/news/40pc-myanmars-population-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19-2021.html Jamie

Irrawaddy reports that health are workers are first in line. Fine. How many health care workers are there, including cleaners, receptionists, nurse-midwives, and others who speak face to face with patients? “Health-care workers, including volunteers, who are on the COVID-19 frontline, government staff and members of parliament are the first priority. Myanmar has more than […]

What happened to reporting figures on the Covid19 epidemic in Myanmar? https://twitter.com/nyanlynn_razi/status/1351131273566294018?s=20 Now that the vaccine has arrived, is there a published plan for distribution? Jamie

So the Myanmar Human Rights Commission has called for a Covid19 vaccine distribution plan. Government officials are right after health workers but before people who clean hospitals. https://www.mmtimes.com/news/human-rights-commission-calls-vaccination-priority-plan.html Now would be a good time for the Ministry of Health and Sports to publicly publish their plan. Jamie

UNAIDS has published an analysis of legal and policy trends on HIV in Asia. *Seven years* of advocacy for an HIV law are summarised here: “In Myanmar, consultations were held concerning the development of a human rightsbased national HIV law from 2014 to 2017, and a bill was drafted as a basis for consultations. In […]

I am not concerned about drug abuse as I don’t know what it means. Substance use disorders, on the other hand, are important. https://www.mmtimes.com/news/drug-abuse-major-concern-myanmar-govt.html What do you think of the new Myanmar National Strategic Framework on Health and Drugs? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NhygL2N7vVLD5gm35zUWDC671EuZMWdN/view?usp=sharing Jamie

Genocide expert Samantha Power has been appointed the head of USAID. Remember what she wrote about Suu Kyi in ‘The Education of an Idealist’? “What I found most chilling was the fact that she was a bad listener – an alarming quality in a leader. And she demonstrated scant empathy for the plight of a […]

An interview with Murdo … https://www.gpdpd.org/en/stories/voices-from-the-field/murdo-bijl Jamie

Does Myanmar’s malaria model need reform? Read and decide for yourself. https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-020-03555-4 Jamie

I guess I missed seeing this CDC in Myanmar’s national health plan. Jamie ++++++++++++++++++ Myanmar National Centre of Disease Control (CDC) and Training Centre launched A China-aided Myanmar National Centre of Disease Control (CDC) and Medical Training Centre project was launched in Myanmar on Sunday, according to a release from the Chinese embassy in Myanmar, […]

It is best to determine who will receive the Covid19 vaccine first, who will get it second, who will get it third, and so on, before deciding who will administer it. Jamie ++++++++++++++++++ MOHS to lay down rules, permits for private sector COVID-19 vaccinations Ei Thinzar Kyaw Eleven Myanmar 30 December 2020 The Ministry of […]