We have received a paper on silicosis from Aung Ko Ko, now with UNDP in Myanmar (Burma) and with a background in Public Health. He reminds us of all the occupational diseases which continue to cripple and kill in the Developing Countries. The West had silicosis and other killers of the Industrial Revolution, illnesses like mill fever and phossy jaw that went away with Trades Unions and forward-thinking legislation, with laws and inspections and owners (occasionally) imprisoned. But for the workers of Myanmar still it goes on.
> Poverty & occupational health: Silicosis
It may also be a good moment to remember ten neglected Tropical Diseases: "A new campaign aims to fight ten diseases that affect many of the world's poorest people but do not get much attention. At the end of January officials announced the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases. The diseases include conditions like sleeping sickness, guinea worm and leprosy. They affect more than a billion people worldwide. The effort involves thirteen drug companies and the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. It also includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and health groups. The campaign promises almost eight hundred million dollars for drug donation programs."