Medical Tourism News and Research

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Medical tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care.

Southern African health officials develop cross-border initiative for malaria elimination

Health ministers from eight countries in the Southern African Development Community this week held a Malaria Elimination Ministerial Meeting in the Namibian capital of Windhoek to develop a cross-border approach for eliminating malaria in the region, New Era reports.

4 Mar 2009

Even small amounts of exercise good for people with serious mental illnesses

A new study from Indiana University suggests that even meager levels of physical activity can improve the mood of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

15 Jan 2009

Gorillas may be at increased risk of pathogen exchange with humans

A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as Escherichia Coli, from humans.

24 Nov 2008

Experts discuss organ trafficking

With the number of patients in need of organ transplants on the rise, an increasing number of patients are turning to unconventional sources for organs.

10 Nov 2008

Medical tourism business projected to grow eightfold by 2010

The number of people in the U.S. who plan to travel abroad for medical care, where the costs for various medical and surgical procedures often are comparatively lower, is projected to increase by eight times by 2010, according to a recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

24 Sep 2008

As world's first test tube baby turns 30 experts warn about dangers of 'reproductive tourism'

As the world's very first test tube baby celebrates her thirtieth birthday experts are warning that the growth of 'reproductive tourism' is becoming an increasing problem which is putting women and babies at risk.

28 Jul 2008

New Orleans area hospitals hope Iowa health system doesn't suffer same fate

The residents of southern Louisiana have all faced difficult times in the almost three years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. No individual, business, or community in the metropolitan New Orleans region was unscathed. Natural disasters can, and do, strike anywhere, anytime. We only have to follow the Mississippi River north to Iowa to see the devastation of floodwaters to other communities.

18 Jul 2008

American Medical Association provides first ever guidance on medical tourism

To ensure the safety of patients considering traveling abroad for medical care, new guiding principles on medical tourism were adopted today at the American Medical Association's (AMA) annual policy-making meeting. The nine principles are the first-of-its- kind, and outline steps for care abroad for consideration by patients, employers, insurers and third-parties responsible for coordinating travel outside of the U.S.

17 Jun 2008

Integrated control of malaria and other vector diseases is crucial

Combating malaria and other so-called vector diseases with chemical controls is increasingly ineffective, besides being hazardous for humans and the environment. These chemical controls must therefore be eliminated. In order to combat the diseases that insects and ticks transmit, all possible strategies must be united.

15 Jun 2008

Human vaccine for Ebola in the pipeline

The deadly Ebola virus is in the news again but this time there is the promise of a vaccine for the deadly disease.

1 Apr 2008

Ebola virus vaccines for humans

One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use.

31 Mar 2008

Millionaire leaves millions for research into motor neuron disease

A self-made millionaire Peter Goodenough who died from motor neuron disease (MND) left more than $6 million to the University's Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) to help find a cure for MND.

19 Mar 2008

Variability in health care treatment costs amongst 9 EU countries

With ‘health tourism' rising across the European Union, consumers, insurers and Governments are increasingly interested in the relative cost of common procedures in different countries.

9 Jan 2008

Male sex tourists may be fueling an HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean

Male sex tourists, largely from the United States and Europe, may be fueling an HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, and efforts to stop the epidemic will be severely hampered unless HIV prevention dollars are diverted to help male prostitutes, a new study suggests.

12 Oct 2007

Microwaves used to predict fat content in meat products

Microwaves used for zapping instant meals can also be used to determine the fat and salt content of supermarket food, according to research carried out at two Manchester universities.

From The University of Manchester 20 Sep 2007

Indonesia denies human to human spread of bird flu

The Indonesian government has been forced to speak out about the continued spread of bird flu in the vast archipelago following the release of an analysis which suggests the deadly virus had been spread by person to person contact.

4 Sep 2007

Bali hit by bird flu again

There has been another death from bird flu in Bali; this time the victim is a 28-year-old woman.

22 Aug 2007

Bird flu death in Bali - Australians on alert

Health officials in Indonesia have confirmed the first human death from bird flu in Bali in a village in the north-west district of Jembrana, an area where poultry is known to be affected.

13 Aug 2007

Foot and mouth disease flying on the wind?

Although tests carried out by biosafety experts in Britain have revealed the strain of foot and mouth disease found in cattle is the same as that used in vaccine production at a nearby animal health research facility, no apparent breach of biosecurity measures has been found.

6 Aug 2007

The big donor shortage

Associate Professor Catherine Waldby of the University of Sydney looks at the fraught and often frightening world of organ donation in an opinion piece.

16 Jun 2007