Tweet: Chatting with Friends at Friendship Hospital

It's one thing if a shopkeeper prefers Facebook chatting to helping a customer - you can just go to another shop. But what do you do in this case?

Convincing ad?

The re-introduction of the Pentavalent vaccination has been widely covered by the media and the importance of vaccinating babies widely promoted through ads, campaigns, and articles. Good PR for the vaccination is highly needed in light of its first round history.

With this in mind, I was flabbergasted to see the ad posted (by who?)  in Friday's Business Bhutan. In it, 5 babies appear to be skewered on a long needle with a blood drop at its end! Ya lama! What was the graphic designer thinking?

Posted in Business Bhutan, June 23, 2011

I'll also comment about the Immunization Schedule table on the left side of the ad, which is completely unreadable even in the print newspaper. So where can one get this information?

I searched the Ministry of Health's website, and the JDW National Referral Hospital's website but found nothing. For parents who are interested in immunization schedules, here's the schedule in the USA. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in the US also has a good website with relevant vaccination information.

Chatting on Your Mobile? Beware of the Risks

A stroll in Thimphu shows the heavy and widespread usage of mobile phones by almost everyone. Although mobile phones have only been around for a relatively short time, recent studies have indicated serious health hazards of using mobile phones. In particular, there has been growing evidence that the electromagnetic radiation causes cancer. The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in the USA has issued a warning, suggesting to limit mobile use. More information can be found on ABC News.

The most important points to keep in mind are:

1. Don't allow children to use mobile phones except for emergencies. Their brains (which are still developing) are very vulnerable to the radiation.
2. Use a headset or at least a speakerphone, and keep the mobile phone away from your head.

A final note: There have been multiple studies thus far, some indicating health risks and others indicating none. Remember, though, that many years ago the tobacco companies claimed that there are no health risks from smoking...