04-Apr-16 The Philippines has launched the world's first public immunization program for dengue fever, seeking to administer to a million schoolchildren a vaccine against a mosquito-borne disease estimated to infect 390 mn people a year globally. The Philippines has the highest dengue incidence in the Western Pacific, recording 200,415 cases in 2015. [image: South China Morning Post]

01-Apr-16 Big budget increases have been made in China for healthcare and family planning, which will get a 47% boost to RMB12.43 bn (USD1.9 bn). Spending on rural health centers will double in 2016, and the budget for government medical insurance will increase nearly five-fold. [image: The Telegraph / Getty]

31-Mar-16 The WHO has urged the Southeast Asian nations to intensify efforts to make the Universal Health Coverage a reality. According to WHO, an estimated 130 million people in WHO Southeast Asia region lack access to essential health services and over 50 million people are pushed into poverty every year because of healthcare costs. [image: World Health Organization]

30-Mar-16 Major Malaysia pharma company Pharmaniaga Bhd expects its business in Indonesia to be profitable this year with a 1-2% growth in terms of contribution to its overall revenue. “In Indonesia currently, we have got common products manufactured there and we got high-end generic products in Malaysia, like cardiovascular products, that we can easily export,” managing director Datuk Farshila Emran said. [image: Pharmaniaga Bhd]

28-Mar-16 According to a World Bank report, 36% of the world’s population aged 65+, or 211 million people, live in East Asia, the largest share among all regions. Vietnam was listed among countries with an aging population. The number of people over 65 in Vietnam is forecast to increase from 6.3 million to 18 million by 2040, 18% of its population. [image: Vietnam+]